Defying Odds
by sara0721
Summary: Ten years after they broke up Aria and Ezra have a chance to reconnect thanks to a romance novel and a familiar author. This follows some of the show's story line but no 'A'. I suck at summaries but please give it a try.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N So this is a story I have worked on for a really long time so I figured I put it up and see how it goes. The last name Fitzgerald was kind of a coincidence. I hope you like it and please review.**

Defying Odds

Ezra saw her through the crowd. The train station was bustling with commuters trying to get to their respective homes, but it did not matter he only saw her. Staring at her, it had been ten years and she still looked as beautiful as he remembered. Her long chestnut hair and hazel eyes were unchanged; it was as if it were yesterday that he last saw her. He was not sure if she would remember him. That was a long time ago and things had changed. Just as he was beginning to turn away he heard her voice. "Ezra," she called. "Ezra, wait."

If he had any question of how she still felt it was erased instantly as she ran towards him dodging people in the crowd. As she reached him she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight squeeze. "I can't believe it's you," she whispered into his ear.

"Are you real?" That was all he could manage to whisper back to her trying to catch his breath. As he inhaled her perfume and hair products he was reminded of how much he loved holding her. He was afraid if he let go she would disappear again for another ten years.

"Of course I am," she said releasing her grip slightly, pulling away to look at him. She focused on his blue eyes and ran her fingers through his messy curls. His hands grabbed her face and he leaned in to kiss her. His lips brushing hers slowly remembering how good this felt. Pulling away for a moment she looked into his eyes, "I love you."

"I love you Aria. Ten years in the making and that's all I can say."

"That's all I need to hear," she said leaning towards him, kissing him again.

"Cut! Great job guys, that's all for today." Ezra was snapped out of his day dream by the director. Suddenly he was back on the movie set and when he looked up it was not himself and Aria but two actors. Seeing his book acted out in front of him was interesting and difficult to watch at times. He knew that on the paper he was holding in his hand she called out to 'Rob' and he told 'Kate' that he loved her, but it was his book and his fantasy and would always see himself and Aria in those roles. Being brought back to reality by the director always made him a little sad though, he wanted to stay in the make believe life forever.

It had been ten years since they had last seen each other. He had written this book as a sort of catharsis. He needed to talk about what happened between him and Aria. Traditional therapy was not going to work for him, so his only other option was to write it down. A journal quickly became a short story that spiraled into a novel and now he was here. Since it was his story he ended it with a happy ending. Why not? The past has been written but who knows about the future.

He had no idea that someone would be willing to publish his story. It was like any other romance novel on the market, but apparently it hit a nerve with the audience. It had the great love, the great loss and the great love found again. He was happy to get a load off of his mind, selling a bunch of copies was simply a bonus.

Now sitting on set he asked himself on a daily basis, "Who would have thought they would turn it into a movie?" Even though the actors were good, he never really saw them. He always saw Aria and himself, acting out the words he had written. As he sat there thinking about her he wondered if she had read the book. Maybe she did, but she would not know he wrote it. He used a different name. He also changed some of the details. His journals had his full story; the novel was based off of that. He did not want to hurt any parties involved, especially since he did not know if or how her life had changed.

"So what do you think?" The director asked forcing Ezra back into reality.

"It's great. It's exactly how I pictured it. Plus Molly and Jake are great so that makes it pretty easy to watch," he said chuckling.

"I'm glad you like it. We should have another week or two of filming and then we'll be all set."

"Sounds good to me. These early mornings are killing me."

"Tell me about it. I'll see you tomorrow," he said clapping Ezra on the shoulder as he walked away. That was Ezra's cue that the day on the set was over and he could head to the office. He had heard that directors could be temperamental but this guy wasn't bad and he seemed to listen when Ezra did not like something. The final product will prove just how much say Ezra had in the creative department of the film. Time would tell.

Just as he was heading to his car the phone rang. "Hello."

"Hey buddy, what's going on?" A familiar voice said through the phone. Hardy had been a really good friend to Ezra during the whole situation with Aria and then with the book. Hardy just hoped now it was out of his system and he could move on.

"Hey, not much. Just leaving the set now and heading to the office. How have you been?"

"Good, you know same old same old. How is filming going?"

"It's good but weird. You know seeing your life, well sort of your life, acted out in front of you."

"I bet. Is it stirring up all the old feelings?" Hardy asked trying to gauge how deep Ezra was in again. He knew Ezra had been dating Liz but bringing up Aria again will quickly put an end to that relationship. It always did. Hardy understood that Aria was the love of Ezra's life, but he also thought that after ten years it was time to move on.

"Not too bad, I'm managing." Ezra lied knowing that Hardy would know too. "Plus things with Liz are good so I can focus on that."

"Good. Liz is a great girl. Hey let's do lunch soon?" Hardy did not really have an opinion of Liz either way but he figured making her sound good might make Ezra realize he did have a good thing going with her.

"That would be great. We can set it up for next week."

"Sounds good to me. Talk to you soon." Hardy said hanging up the phone. He felt bad keeping tabs on Ezra but he wanted to make sure he was not wasting away lonely and alone. It had been ten years, it really was time to let go or maybe try to reach out to Aria. "Maybe I'll mention that to him next week. Maybe she has moved on and if they talk he'll have some closure," he said out loud.

Ezra knew that Hardy cared and that was why he checked up on him but he also knew Hardy did not get it. Aria and Ezra's relationship did not just run its course, it ended badly because of Aria's parents and the fact that Ezra was her teacher. Leaving Aria was the right thing to do at the time but just because it was the right thing did not make it easier. He regretted leaving Rosewood immediately after he did and tried to talk to her but she refused to answer him. After a while he figured that she had moved on, but what if she had not. These were the thoughts he tried to limit, dwelling on the past was never good and usually cost him his girlfriend at the time.

Three thousand miles across the country, lying in her bed, Aria closed the book "Defying Odds" by Elizabeth Fitzgerald. A tear was rolling down her cheek and suddenly she knew what she had to do. Elizabeth Fitzgerald had hit a nerve within her sparking emotions she had buried years ago. She could not believe three hundred pages had reminded her of what she lost years ago and gave her hope that all may not be lost.

Even after her parents rejected him; after he decided it was best to leave, give her a chance at a normal life; even after she refused to answer his texts and emails, upset because he didn't stay to fight for her, she still loved him. Aria always had a place in her heart of Ezra and suddenly she was consumed by the fact that everything they had was unfinished. Was there a chance that they could reconnect and live happily ever after?

Obviously over the past ten years she's had her fair share of relationships but none that compared to Ezra. None that she wanted to make permanent. She had tried to move on with some success but it just never felt right. She did not wish that Ezra was home pining over her, she hoped he was happy but part of her hoped that he had not forgotten what they had had. It was very real for her and she still could not let it go.

Aria scoured the internet in search of Elizabeth Fitzgerald, searching for as much information about her as she could find. Her picture showed a pretty blonde in her late twenties or early thirties. The mini-biography stated that the author was from California, loved long walks on the beach and a good book on a Sunday afternoon. Aria wondered why there was so little information about this woman. She understood this was her first book but she must have done more in her life.

For whatever reason, from the moment that Aria read this book she felt that it was based on a true story or from real life experience. She knew that this was a huge assumption. This book could have very easily been a complete work of fiction, but the way the characters were written, Aria felt they must have been based on real people. Aria felt a connection to the author immediately, she felt they had a similar story but was surprised to see there was not mention of a husband or a family. Aria had to continue to remind herself that this book was sold as fiction, which it probably was. She needed to stop thinking that Elizabeth Fitzgerald was writing a story of past experience.

Aria was shocked at how much this book had touched her. She needed to know if the author had a similar experience to hers and if it worked out for her. She decided to write a letter to the author. This was something she had never done before but she wanted to see if she would get a response.

_Dear Ms. Fitzgerald, _

_I found Defying Odds to be a wonderful love story. It touched my heart deeply and made me reminisce about a past love. Our story was very similar to the one that you wrote. Unfortunately the ending was not the same, at least not yet. You have given me hope that one day we will find each other again, because I think you never stop loving your first love. Is this story based on an experience that you have had or is it all fiction? Please let me know, I need to know if you really had a happy ending. Thank you again for writing a beautiful story._

_Sincerely,_

_Aria Montgomery from Rosewood, PA_

Hopefully the author actually read her fan mail and did not just have some assistant give a generic response. Aria had not been this hopeful about love in a long time. Of course she knew she was getting ahead of herself because it probably was a work of fiction and the writer would send a generic response saying just keep plugging along, but she had hope.

The phone rang startling her out of her day dream. "Hello," she said.

"Did you finish the book?" Hanna yelled into the phone.

"Yes, I did."

"Was that the best book you have ever read?"

"I know right. Do you think it's based on real life experience?"

"It could be, why?"

"It just really reminded me of Ezra."

"I guess it is kind of like you and Ezra except the happy ending part. Sorry I don't mean to make you feel bad."

"I know what you mean. Want to hear something really lame? I wrote a letter to the author to ask if it was a true story." Aria explained and then she read Hanna the letter.

"Oh Aria, you are such a sap. But that's really romantic. Wait, what about Noel?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well aren't you guys kind of exclusive."

"I hadn't really thought about it. We're having fun but it's not serious," Aria explained. She was a terrible person because she did not even consider his feelings. Noel and Aria had reconnected when she can back to Rosewood to teach. It could be considered a relationship but Aria never really saw it going anywhere. How could it, she did not really love him, but she did not want to be alone either so it was nice to have someone to do things with. Plus he was not a terrible guy.

"I just want to wait and hear from the author, see what she says. Then we'll see. Nothing may ever come from this and I won't have to let Noel know what I'm doing. I mean he could have a completely different life now and I wouldn't want to ruin that."

"That's true. See what she says, she may burst your bubble and say it is all fiction or it may be all true. Who knows?"

"I can't believe how much of a school girl I sound like. We're 27; it's time to grow up a little."

"Yeah but it's exciting that this book has made you interested in love again. It's been a while. Plus, I really think this is your chance at happiness."

"Oh Hanna you say that about every guy. We aren't all as lucky as you to have Caleb."

"Yeah but Aria, Ezra is your guy. You need to pursue this and see what happens. If it isn't meant to be than, it isn't, but you have to try."

"I know. Hey it's late and I have school tomorrow. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." With that Aria hung up the phone. Hanna was right. She had not been this happy and hopeful in a long time. This was her chance at happiness and Ezra was the guy. He was the only guy she cared about and the only one she wanted to be with. Maybe with a little push from a random author she would go find him and see what could possibly happen.

She put a stamp on her letter grabbed her coat and keys and left her apartment. Just outside the building was the mail box. She looked at the letter one more time and decided to drop it in. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate them all. I wrote this story as one continuous story so I'm having a little trouble breaking it down into chapters. I apologize if some chapters seem short. I'm trying to fix them as I go. I hope you enjoy and keep reviewing please!-Sara**

Aria went about her business as usual. She was teaching English at Rosewood High School. She returned after college, getting the job easily. She thought she would use it as a stepping stone until something bigger and better came along, but she fell in love with her job and had been at Rosewood for the past three years.

Still, she was happy to only have two months to go before summer recess. "Thank god the end of the year is coming and I will be busy with finals, papers and grading. I really need to get my mind off this stupid letter," she whispered to herself. It did not really matter though she could not get Ezra out of her head.

Luckily she was able to make it through the school day without letting her mind wander too much. Aria heard her cell phone ring as she headed towards her car. "I know who this is," she said without looking at the caller ID. "Hello," she said.

"Why am I just hearing that you have gone crazy?" Spencer yelled through the phone.

"What are you talking about?" Aria replied.

"You are seeking relationship advice from an author who probably wrote romantic fiction because it sells well and tugs at the heart-strings of saps like you. May I also remind you, that you wrote this letter while you are dating someone else who has no idea you had a relationship with your former teacher."

"So you talked to Hanna."

"Of course I did," Spencer said sounding annoyed.

"First things first, I am not a sap. Secondly, yes I wrote a letter, I need to know if I should take a leap of faith and I need an unbiased opinion," Aria said pausing, trying to choose her words. "Hanna will always say go for it because every person is the next potential great love of my life and you'll tell me to get over him and move on because it's been ten years. I thought I had moved on Spence, dating Noel, being happy but reading this book suddenly reminded me that there is so much left unsaid. It showed me I was pretending I am happy because that's what's expected of me." Aria said taking a breath, waiting for her response.

"I can understand that but I don't understand how some woman you don't know will be able to give you advice without knowing the back story. If you truly want to reconnect with Ezra then do it. He can't be that hard to find. You don't need anyone's permission. And you especially don't need the blessing of an author. Tread lightly though, you are dealing with someone else's emotions. Until you have a definite plan I wouldn't tell Noel what's going on."

"You're right. This is why I need your advice. Maybe after school finishes for the year I'll take the first step and see what happens. I need to know what he's up to so I can finally put the subject to rest, either way."

"Exactly, so stop being crazy and come to your senses."

"I will thanks. Talk to you soon," Aria said hanging up. Spencer had a point. Why did she need validation for what she wanted to do? An old friend can look up another old friend. Nothing needs to come of that, or maybe everything would.

Back in California, Ezra was sitting at his desk staring out the window. Ezra was an editor at a small publishing firm. He had started at the bottom of the company and had worked his way up to a small corner office and an assistant. He continued to stare out the window and think about his life now and how he got to this point.

He was an editor by day, author by night, which kept him busy and out of trouble. Ezra asked another editor to take a look at his book and she loved it. They changed the name on it and pitched it to the director. He loved it and the rest is history. Ezra had no grand illusions of becoming an author. He only had one story in him, so he kept the book with the pen name.

All the money he made he was saving for a rainy day and he would continue to work as an editor. He loved his job, his little beach cottage and Harp his dog. Life was good, a little lonely but good. Ezra's life was not complicated and that is how he liked it.

He had only been in two serious relationships since Aria and the last one ended about a year ago. Jane was ready for marriage and he could not commit. She also found his journal and knew. Ezra remembered the look on her face as she walked out the door; he had broken her heart and vowed he would not get that serious again.

He was dating Liz, who was the face of the book, literally. She was Elizabeth Fitzgerald at public appearances and on the jacket of the book. It was just fun and casual, he also knew this relationship was not going anywhere either, hopefully Liz knew that too.

Ezra was on the movie set today watching his words being acted out in front of him; he was unable to get Aria out of his mind. He wondered how she was, what she was doing, if she was happy, if she had found someone else. So there he sat twirling a pen in his hand staring out the window, unable to think of anything else but her. A voice in the hall startled Ezra back to reality.

"Fan mail is here," Liz called into his office.

"Do I really have to read all those letters?" He called out to her.

"Yes you do, that's the deal. I sign the books and you read and respond to the letters."

"Fine, I'll be right out."

Ezra came into the conference room where she had dumped the mail in the middle of the table. He decided to answer fifty letters today. He liked to send a personal note back to each fan. He would appreciate it if an author he liked responded to him. It was the least he could do.

After three hours of answering letters he looked at the clock. It was 5:55pm. "Time to go home," he said. Then he noticed the pale blue envelope. Most people who mailed letters used white envelopes and lined paper. This one stood out. He opened the letter finding a note written on a flowered note card. He opened it up and began to read it. He could not believe what he was reading.

Not only had Aria read the book but she sent the author a letter to find out if it was a true story. He did not know what to do. He needed to play it cool. Part of him wanted to jump on a plane, go to Rosewood, and knock on her door and say, "I love you." This letter proved that Aria wanted to find him again. She obviously would not write this if she was with someone else. She must be talking about them but he did not know. She could have met someone in college that she regretted leaving.

"No," he said out loud. "She has to mean us," he said.

"Did you say something?" Liz called from her cubicle.

"No I'm fine just talking to myself. I'm finishing up the last one for the day."

"Well it's late so hurry up. We could grab dinner after this if you want?" Liz said hoping he would say yes. She really liked Ezra and enjoyed their time together but it was always on his terms. She was hoping that he would become more serious and take the next step. She would not push him though because she was happy to have him at all.

"Thanks but I need to get home and let Harp out. Another time?" He said casually. The letter Aria had sent had thrown him and he could not give Liz his full attention tonight. He needed to think about what he just read.

"I could come over and we could do take out." She said trying to give him a little nudge to say yes.

"I really just want to go home and sleep. It's been a long day of being on the set and then coming back here. Saturday, maybe?" He said giving her a date but also being very non-committal.

"I'll hold you to that. We can do a picnic on the beach. The weather should be great," she said, happy he actually gave her an answer instead of being vague. She would hold him to that because she really wanted to make this work. She knew all about the book and that it was true to a degree, but she was sure she could sway him in another direction.

"Sounds good," he called out to her while turning back to the matter at hand, which was Aria's letter. It was not really fair that he knew it was from her but she would not know it was him. He could only hope that his response to her would actually help give her a push to reach out to him and initiate contact. He could not fathom that even after ten years she would possibly still be interested. Maybe distance and time does make the heart grow founder.

He decided to write a letter back. An open invitation:

_Dear Ms. Montgomery,_

_Your letter intrigues me. To answer your question, yes my story is based on a real experience. However, my story was only a happy ending because I could write it that way. If you feel that your story is potentially unfinished, then I dare you to finish it. It's important that when you find a love that consumes you, you never let it go. Even if you feel like too much time has passed, it hasn't. Feelings like that always remain. You have encouraged me to be hopeful that my real story could end as happily as it did in the story. If I can dare you, maybe I should dare myself. Follow your heart and find your love! _

_E. Fitzgerald_

If that did not explain how he felt, he was not sure how else to say it. He stamped the letter himself and walked it to the mailbox. Was this his shot at happiness? He was putting too much stock in this. She might not even be talking about him, but he really hoped she was. Now he could only wait and see.

Driving home along the coast in his '65 Mustang convertible, candy apple red with tan interior, one of the perks of writing a best seller and his only splurge, he decided he needed an outsider's opinion. He picked up his phone and called Hardy. "Hey do you have a minute."

"Sure, what's up?" Hardy asked.

"Aria sent me a fan letter."

"What? How do you know?"

"Well, I should say sent Elizabeth Fitzgerald a fan letter, but I answer them and she signed it Aria Montgomery, Rosewood PA. It pretty much can only be her, right?"

"What did you do?"

"I responded as the author. I dared her to find her long-lost love and said it isn't too late to try. What are you thinking?"

"I think that's a pretty good answer. Not to burst your bubble man, but maybe it isn't you."

"I know, but I'm hopeful."

"Well I was going to tell you this at lunch next week so I might as well tell you now; I think you should try to reconnect with her. It could be good or it could be bad but then at least you'd have some closure."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I know you haven't always thought this was a good idea but I appreciate your honesty."

"That's what friends are for. See what happens, maybe you'll hear from her."

"Thanks man, I just wanted to bounce this off someone so I know I'm not losing my mind entirely. You've always been honest with me even in the beginning."

"That's my job as your best friend. Believe me I did not agree with you dating your student but I realize now it was way more than a crush or indiscretion."

"Well I appreciate it; I did not have a lot of people to talk to about it."

"I know. I will say this, I'm glad you left the student/teacher relationship out of the book." Hardy said starting to chuckle. Ezra joined him.

"I am too," Ezra said chuckling. "It would have been a different kind of book." They both continued to laugh. Ezra finally caught his breath. "Ok buddy, I'll let you go. Thanks for listening I really needed that."

"Anytime. Hey, let me know what happens?"

"I will." Ezra hung up and continued to drive home. He really did not expect Hardy to agree with him for wanting to pursue this but maybe he's right. Closure could be a good thing and help him finally start living his life again.


	3. Chapter 3

Aria had just finished parking her car in the parking lot by the apartment. She heard her phone ringing and figured Spencer had another point to add. "Hello," she said, surprised to hear the voice on the other end, she should have checked her caller ID first.

"Hey babe, where have you been for the last week?" Noel asked through the phone. She could tell he was on speaker so he was driving. Aria hated being called babe but she chose to ignore it hoping the conversation would end quickly.

"Hey yourself, I've just been busy with school. What's up? Where are you?" Aria replied. She had been dodging his calls for a few days because she could not get Ezra out of her head and she really did not want to deal with him.

"I'm actually on my way home; I was in Philadelphia for a couple of days this week. What are you doing tonight? I thought we could grab dinner at the Grille."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I need to change and stuff, what time?"

"You don't need to change you look great."

"How do you…" the beeping stopped her mid sentence. Noel was pulling up to the curb.

"Hop in, we can go now. I'm starving," he said through the open window.

She smiled and climbed into the car. She leaned towards him and gave him a quick kiss hello. "How was Philly?"

"It was good. I had to go over a client's books so kind of boring. I'm glad to be home."

They arrived to the Grille quickly. Rosewood is not exactly a huge town. They were seated right away. They sat at a table for two, tucked into a corner. It would have been romantic but Aria was thinking about anything but romance at this point. Ezra was now all she thought about, which made her realize how much she did not want to be with Noel. Suddenly everything about his personality bothered her. She hoped dinner would end quickly so she could go home.

The waitress was nice and efficient. She was a little friendly towards Noel, but he was a good looking guy and girls usually did that to him. They made small talk about the last few days while they ate. Of course Aria failed to mention the letter she sent to the author or that she had thought of Ezra a lot lately.

"Would you care for any dessert?" The waitress asked.

"I'm ok," Aria responded looking at Noel.

"Can we look at the menu? I'm sure there is something we can share." He said. The waitress gave him a menu, ready for this question. "We'll try the Key Lime pie please." He told her. "You can have a bite and I'll eat the rest," he said smiling at Aria.

"Twist my arm a little harder," she said joking just as the desert arrived.

While they began digging in to the Key Lime pie, Noel began to speak. "So I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"We have been dating for a long time and it's been great. I think we are good for each other. You have made my life complete and happy," he said looking into her eyes smiling.

Aria was screaming inside her head. "Oh dear god, he's going to do this," she said in her head.

"Aria Montgomery, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you," saying this he was suddenly fishing something out of his pocket and down on one knee. He pulled out a beautiful diamond engagement and looked at her. The whole restaurant was quiet staring at them. "Will you marry me?" He said pushing the ring towards her.

"Umm, I don't know what to say. I am completely shocked."

"Say yes."

"Yes, I will marry you." She said with a nervous smile, shocked this just happened. More shocked she said yes and even more shocked because she did not love him, especially not enough to ever marry him.

Once she said yes he stood up and kissed her. The restaurant applauded loudly and then went back to their meals. They paid their bill and left.

All Aria could do was smile. If she stopped she may start crying and she really did not want to do that. She knew she was not paying any attention to what he was saying. When they arrived to her apartment he followed her inside. She grabbed her mail on the way in.

"Are you excited?" He asked.

"I think I am still in shock," she replied. She knew why he was here and she needed to figure out a way to make him leave. She did not want to have sex with him, even though he expected it.

"So can I sleep over?" He said with a wink. This was his universal sign.

"I'd love you to but we can only sleep. Tonight's not a good night for anything else." She said hoping he would get the hint. She knew once he got it, he would decide to leave. He only stayed over if they were going to have sex. Otherwise he preferred his own place.

He was staring at her for a few minutes before he finally understood what she meant. "That's ok actually, I haven't been home in a few days and I probably should unpack and check my mail."

"Oh, ok. You're probably right. Plus I'll be on the phone talking to the girls anyway." She said with a smile.

He thought this meant she was excited to tell everyone. Of course it was her way of venting and figuring out how she could fix this situation. He leaned in and gave her a kiss good bye.

She grabbed the mail and headed into her bed room. She sat on her bed staring at the ring on her finger. Why did she say yes? Because it was easier than saying no while a group of people were staring at her. She took the ring off and put it on the night stand. He was gone and she did not have to wear it.

She flipped through her mail when she suddenly saw it. It was a response from Elizabeth Fitzgerald. The timing was incredible. She quickly tore open the envelope and began to read the typed response. She could not believe how personal the response was. Elizabeth really read her letter. Aria sent text messages to Hanna and Spencer immediately.

_So I got a letter back from the author telling me to go for it. And I think I'm kind of engaged!_

Almost instantly after hitting send her phone began to beep.

Hanna texted: _I'm on my way over_.

Spencer texted: _I'm bringing wine_.

Within about ten minutes both of them were sitting on Aria's couch. Spencer was reading the letter from Elizabeth and Hanna was staring at the ring. Without even speaking the two swapped the items and began studying the new things in their hands. Spencer was the first to break the silence.

"So what are you going to do?" She asked.

"I don't know. What do you think I should do?" Aria asked.

"I think you should keep this ring," Hanna commented from the peanut gallery.

"Hanna, please," Spencer snapped. "Why did you say yes?"

"I don't know. Probably because everyone was staring at us and it would be weird to say no."

"Yeah, you really shouldn't have said yes. Now you have another whole can of worms to deal with," Hanna said. "Was it a romantic proposal?"

"Not really. He didn't profess his undying love for me. It was more like we work well together; we should just take the next step because that's what we're supposed to do."

"Well the ring kind of makes up for that." Hanna said.

"Hanna we need to stay focused here. How are you planning on finding Ezra?" Spencer asked. Aria loved how direct she could be, right to the point, no tip toeing around the situation.

"I have a little secret," Aria said grabbing both or their attention. They both looked at her waiting for her to speak. "I still have his email address. I'm not sure if it still works but I have it."

"Send him an email and see what he's doing," Spencer said. "It's a step in the right direction. You are talking to him without causing any trouble, because old friends send emails to each other all the time. Plus if it doesn't work then we look for something else."

"Do you think so?"

"Yeah, you won't be able to let this go until you get some answers and it's not worth telling Noel now," Spencer added.

"Spence is right Aria. You really won't be able to move on if you don't talk to him. A simple email might do the trick. He may respond that he's been happily married for 5 years, has one kid and the second on the way," she said shrugging. "You never know."

Aria and Spencer were both staring at her. "What?" Hanna said.

"Way to burst a bubble Hanna. I thought I was supposed to be the practical one." Spencer said. With that they all started laughing. They finished their wine and continued to gossip.

It was an odd scene because they were not congratulating their friend on her engagement. Both were pushing her towards a past love. To be completely honest Spencer and Hanna did not care for Noel at all. They were happy Aria had someone in her life but Noel had a bad reputation in high school and it seemed that it did not get better as an adult. Neither had really pushed the issue because they could tell Aria's heart was not into it. Now with the engagement and the potential reconnection with Ezra they knew which way to direct their friend.

After a couple of hours the girls left and Aria sat on her bed with her laptop. She had an email address. She was not sure it was going to work but it was worth a shot.

_Hi Ezra,_

_I was cleaning out my contacts and found your email address. I'm not sure it even still works. I hope this email finds you well, where ever you are now. If you get a chance to say hi it would be great to hear from you._

_Aria_

She hit send with her fingers crossed. She could not believe she was doing this. Of course she was trying really hard not to get her hopes up because the email may be invalid but who knows. People keep cell numbers forever; maybe they keep email addresses too. "Some divine intervention would be great right now." Aria did not know it yet but some intervention was already happening.

Lying on her bed she kept hitting refresh on the browser. Of course it had only been 3 minutes since she sent the email. She really needed more patience. Looking at the clock she said out loud, "Crap I need to go to bed. Hanna will be here early to walk." Time had escaped her and she could not believe it was already 1am.

Ezra was sitting at the computer tooling around on the internet looking at nothing in particular. He decided to check his email one last time before calling it a night. He was exhausted. Today was the last day of shooting for the movie and he needed to be there early. The director wanted his opinion on changing the ending. Ezra was not sure he wanted to do that but he was willing to listen and see what he had to say. Ezra was pleasantly surprised when he heard what the director wanted to do. "I want to open the movie with a scene of both Rob and Kate running for trains. Then just as Rob notices Kate we go into flashback mode, tell the story and end with the scene we shot a few days ago." The director said. Ezra could not wait to see the final product.

Just as he was scanning through his emails he saw a familiar name in the inbox. He opened the email and immediately knew. "She got the letter." Harp looked up at him slightly confused because he was startled from his sleepy state.

"Sorry buddy, I didn't mean to wake you, but she got the letter and she's emailed me. How do I respond to her now? Should I be generic?"

The dog continued to look at him quizzically, and then he put his head back on his paws trying to doze off.

_Wow, it's great to hear from you. This is quite the blast from the past. I am well, living in LA now, well just outside of it actually. I got into publishing and things are going well. What are you up to now? I hope all is well for you. It's wonderful to hear from you. Keep in touch._

_Ezra_

He hit send and now he would have to wait and see. He did not want to sound too eager. You cannot respond back "I love you come live with me" in your first conversation in over ten years. Hopefully she would respond quickly. For the first time in a long time he was excited and could not wait to see what tomorrow brings.

"Knock, Knock" Hanna said walking through her door. It was Saturday morning and Hanna and Aria walked and then went to Brew for muffins and coffee.

"Oh my god! Hanna, get in here," Aria screamed. "He emailed me back!"

"What? Are you kidding me?" Hanna said quickly walking to Aria's room. She jumped on her bed and read Ezra's email. "I can't believe this. It worked!"

"I know and he's in California. What should I do? What should I say back?"

"Did you tell Spencer?"

"Yeah she's on her way over with coffee. Sorry we aren't walking this morning. I need to deal with this first."

"Umm, yeah this is way better than a walk," Hanna said as they heard Spencer.

"Hello," Spencer yelled when she came in putting the coffees on the counter.

"In here," Aria and Hanna said at the same time.

"Let me read the email." Spence said. Aria handed Spencer her laptop and she read. "It's kind of short and very generic. It doesn't tell us much." Both Hanna and Aria looked at her deflated. Spencer had a way of putting things into perspective.

"Well what do you expect Spence, Ezra to be like 'I love you Aria, marry me'," Hanna said.

"Or he could say, 'Sorry can't talk to you I have a wife and 3 kids'," Aria added. "My email wasn't full of information. God knows I didn't mention that I'm sort of engaged."

"Good point. This time we just need to ask more open-ended questions and see if we can drag some information out of him," Spencer said.

"Oh do 'we'," Aria said, making quotations in the air with her fingers.

"You know what I mean," Spencer replied rolling her eyes at her.

They sat on Aria's bed thinking about what they should say. It seemed like an hour before they came up with something to reply with. Finally Aria had enough. "Ok that's it. I'm going to write what I want to say and then you guys can tell me if it's good, ok?"

"Ok," Hanna and Spencer said in unison.

"Ok, here it goes," Aria said, beginning to read her email out loud.

_I can't believe this is still your email. I sent you that message on a whim, I'm so glad you replied. I'm glad you are well. California, I am so jealous. I'm sure it's very glamorous. I came back to Rosewood after college and I now teach at the high school. Weird, I know, kind of following in your footsteps. Other than that, it's kind of boring here. What's keeping you busy other than publishing?_

_I think I am still in shock you replied. What a wonderful surprise. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Aria_

"That's good. I think he'll get the fact you want to keep talking to him without blurting out I love you and want to get back together," Hanna said.

"Yeah, it's still subtle but a little more about you this time," Spencer added. "Of course now we need to wait and see what he says."

Aria hit send. Though part of her was now afraid his life had changed and she could not be part of it.

Ezra rose early Saturday morning. Today he was having a picnic on the beach with Liz, not that he wanted to. He was so wrapped up in the Aria situation that he knew he would not be able to give Liz his full attention which was not fair to her.

Just as he was about to grab Harp's leash so they could head out for their walk he decided to check his email. Harp sat by the door staring at him. "I know what time it is, give me a minute. There's a three-hour time change she might have responded already." Looking at his watch he said, "It's already 10am there."

He opened his email account and found what he was looking for. Her email sounded happy, almost giddy. He hoped she was actually excited but he knew he could easily read that tone into the email. "What to say?" He said flexing his fingers beginning to type.

_I wish I could say California is glamorous. I live in a sleepy town called Seaside. It is north of Los Angeles, but it's not bad. I'm across from the beach and the dog loves it so I can't complain. It's wonderful that you are teaching. I can't lie sometimes I miss it but I really like my job now too. How is your family and friends? Are you still at your parents or did you and the girls get a place? There is so much I would love to chat with you about. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Ezra_

As he hit the send button he said out loud, "Why am I such a loser? I should have said 'I love you' it would be easier. I am losing my mind. Alright Harp, let's go. I need to clear my head." Harp jumped up on command looking at him with an 'about time' look on his face. They went to the beach to run and play with the ball before Liz would be over.


	4. Chapter 4

Staring out at the ocean, Ezra thought to himself, "What the hell am I doing? This is either going to be really good or end badly." Harp's barking brought him back to reality and he threw the tennis ball again.

"He has a lot to talk about with me," Aria squealed to her friends. They had all been hanging out at her apartment waiting for the response. The time change was killing them. Luckily they knew he was up now so hopefully the responses would not take so long. They were all assuming he was waiting by the computer like they were. "It sounds like he has a nice life."

"No mention of a family," Spencer added.

"True, he only mentioned his dog. Usually if you had kids they'd come before the dog," Hanna replied.

_Your town sounds nice. I'd love to be that close to the ocean. Teaching has perks, two more months and I'm off for the summer which is great. I did move out, but I'm on my own. I got a little apartment in town. Nothing fancy but it's my own little place. I'm glad you really want to talk to me. I was afraid you wouldn't. I have really missed you._

_Aria_

Hitting send, Spencer and Hanna looked at her with their mouths open. "If that doesn't send a message I don't know what will," Spencer said.

"Jeez, now we'll have to wait and see what he says." Hanna added.

"I decided I'd make the first move. I don't feel like tap dancing around the situation. Now my only problem is Noel." Aria said. "What do you think I should do?" She asked, her eyes pleading with them to give her an answer.

"I say go for Ezra." Hanna said excitedly.

"Bottom line Aria, if you don't love him you shouldn't marry him regardless of what happens with Ezra. But I wouldn't break it off just yet. You need to think about it for a week so at least the poor guy thinks you gave it some consideration," Spencer said chuckling because she honestly did not care if Noel's feelings were hurt.

Harp and Ezra returned home around 8am. He quickly put food out for Harp so he could then go check his computer. His eyes lit up when he saw the email from Aria. "She misses me." He said out loud. He had hoped this would happen. He was excited to hear that it was 'just her' in the apartment. He figured if she had a boyfriend or family she would have mentioned it. He had hoped she picked up the hint that he did not when he only mentioned Harp. What was he going to say now? He decided he needed to call Hardy for some advice.

"Hello," a voice answered groggily on the other end of the line.

"Hey man, sorry to call so early," Ezra said.

"Jeez man, it's Saturday. What's up?" Hardy answered making sure Ezra could hear the tone in his voice.

"I know, I know, but she emailed me."

"Who did?"

"Aria and she misses me."

"Really? She said that."

"Yes she actually wrote in the email 'I've really missed you'. What do you think I should do?"

"I don't know man," he said pausing and Ezra noticed it.

"What are you not saying?"

"Ok so here's the deal. You have Liz and she's a really nice girl and it could work out for you two, but then there's Aria. And there's always going to be Aria. I think you need to pursue this and see what happens. If you don't get it out of your system you never will. I also think you should break up with Liz because either way you don't love her and she deserves better. Ok, that's all I have."

"You're right. You're always right."

"That's my job and it's why you keep me around."

"Liz is coming over today for a picnic, I think I'll do it today. I don't want to cheat on her, that's not really fair."

"Sounds like a plan, keep me posted."

"Will do. Thanks!"

"Anytime," Hardy said and he hung up. Smiling to himself, he knew this was for the best. Ezra would never love anyone else and who knows this may work out in the end.

It was a good talk with Hardy and he was right. Ezra knew it was time to end it with Liz and then he could be completely free to pursue a relationship with Aria because he would only be lying to himself if he said he was only in it for friendship. He went back to the email and began to type his reply.

_I hope you are enjoying your weekend. It's sunny and 72 here, perfect beach day! I just got back from walking the dog and it's gorgeous out. I don't mean to rub it in but spring must be in the air in Rosewood. The warm weather will be there before you know it. _

_I don't know how else to say this but I've really missed you too. Things ended badly for us before but I feel like this is a chance at a new beginning. You have no idea how happy it's made me to just hear from you. Keep the emails coming. _

_Ezra_

_P.S. Also my cell number is the same if you need to reach me_.

As he hit send, he hoped this email was not too over the top. He wanted her to know he was interested and this was the only way he could do it. For some reason the writer in him ceased to exist. He had lost his knack of the English language within a matter of minutes. He had always been thrown by his feelings for Aria, which made him feel that she must have been the one because no other woman did this to him. Now he had really started the ball rolling and he was not sure where it was going to go.

His thoughts immediately moved to Liz. How was he going to end their relationship? They had not been together long but working on the book and everything forced them together a lot. Luckily the book tour was over and things were winding down. It was not easy but he was going to be truthful. She knew about the book so she would have to understand.

Aria had gone to take a shower while they all waited for the next email. "Yell for me if one comes in. I'll try to be quick," she said.

Spencer and Hanna had turned the TV on and were lounging on the couch, the laptop sitting on the coffee table waiting to be pounced on. Both of them had become enthralled in the _Today Show_, when they heard the alert, indicating a new message. Hanna pounced on the computer first to see if the new message was from Ezra. They had set it up so they would not miss any of the emails. All of them had decided they had to take advantage of the time that both time zones were awake so that they could get as much in as possible.

"Oh Spencer you have to read this," Hanna said.

"You opened it. Aria is going to be mad." Spencer said.

"Why am I going to be mad?" Aria asked walking towards them.

"I just read the latest email. It just came in. Oh Aria," Hanna started to gush.

"Well, let me read it." At first sight Aria thought he was just being vague talking about the weather and what not but when she read the end of it she was consumed. "Is this really happening? Could I really be getting back with Ezra?" She looked at them waiting for an answer.

"Maybe you should surprise him?" Hanna said.

"What do you mean?" Aria asked.

"Oh my god, yes. You should totally just show up and be like 'Hey'," Spencer said. "You could fly out next Friday and come home on the red-eye Sunday. It would suck but it would be so worth it."

"Do you really think I should? Because I really want to see him." Aria said.

"Yes! You have to do it. I love happy endings." Hanna chimed in.

"Ok let's look up tickets. I'll have to casually ask him what he's doing mid-week because it would suck if he wasn't going to be there. This is the most spontaneous thing I've ever done!"

The girls poured over the travel sites looking for the cheapest tickets they could find. It's a great idea but Aria did not feel like being in debt forever because of a whim. They also needed to brainstorm how to break the news to Noel that she was going away next weekend. Hanna and Spencer would cover for her in any story she came up with. Aria should have just broken it off with him and made things easier but she wanted to see Ezra first. It was important to gauge his reaction to her and see if it was really worth changing her whole life for him.

"Ok so I'm going to book this one. I leave here at 4pm, I have a layover in Kansas City and I get to LA by 10pm their time. I can rent a car and drive to his house."

"You don't have his address," Hanna said.

"I'll text him and tell him I want to mail him something," Aria added.

"Good idea. That way you'll have all the info. He is going to die when you knock on his door and he opens up and sees you." Spencer said.

"Sorry to put a damper on things but what's the story for Noel. It's not like you go away very often and we'll both be around." Hanna added.

"Visiting an old college friend?" Spencer suggested.

"Yes, that's good. She just had a baby and I'm going to see her in California. That's all he has to know. Her name is Amanda Fields and the baby's name is Jacob. Can you guys remember that? I'm not giving any more details. He barely listens if it's not about him anyways so it should be easy enough."

"I can handle that." Hanna said.

"Me too, jeez you can lie pretty easily." Spencer added.

"I wish I was that good. We just got an email from the Literature Society I was in during college and this girl did have a baby. I don't know who she is but she's real." She said laughing, making both of her friends crack up too. "Should I email him back or text him?"

"Send a text. Then we can get out of this apartment." Spencer said.

"Good point. Is it lunch time yet? I'm starved," Aria added as she pulled out her phone. She sent a message to Ezra.

_Hey, just checking if it works._

Then they headed out to grab some food.

Ezra's phone vibrated. He looked at the caller ID and could not believe it was from Aria. He checked the text and responded quickly.

_Hey yourself, it works. Great seeing your name pop up on my phone._

Ezra could not stop smiling. He was so happy to hear from Aria. He felt like a school kid. He could not wait for the next text or email. While he was busy thinking about Aria and what he could say next he lost track of time. Suddenly he looked at the clock and realized Liz would be arriving in a half hour. He quickly ran to the bathroom. He needed to shower quickly. While he was shampooing his hair he started talking to himself.

"Liz, we really need to talk. I know this isn't really fair to you but I think we need to end this. You know the girl in the book, is real and her name is Aria. I have been in contact with her and we've had a chance to reconnect and I want to take that chance." He said out loud. "God that sounds so lame. I need to word it better."

"It was worded just fine. I understand exactly what you mean," her voice sounded through the rush of water.

"Liz, you've been listening. I didn't expect you yet."

"Well sorry to disappoint you but I'm here. I have some news for you too. I'm pregnant."

"What?" He said throwing the curtain open.

"You heard me."

"How did this happen? We were careful."

"Well protection doesn't always work I guess."

"Are you sure it's mine?"

"How dare you? Of course it's yours. Who's would it be?" She said taking an indignant tone.

"Hey, I'm just asking. The timing is incredible, I plan to break up with you and suddenly you are pregnant." He said just as defiantly, reaching for a towel and stepping out of the shower.

"Well I'm sorry that this doesn't fit your little scenario of reconnecting with an old girlfriend."

"What do you mean it doesn't fit?"

"Well are you just going to leave me with this problem all by myself?"

"No, I will support the baby but that doesn't mean I need to marry you Liz. I don't love you like that and you know it." He said stepping towards her, the towel draped around his waist. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "You deserve someone who loves you."

"You are such an asshole," she said turning and walking away. He could hear her start to cry as she shut the door behind her.

He watched her walk to her car and sit there for a moment. He thought she was collecting herself before she drove away, he did not realize she was thinking about the problem at hand.

"How did he know?" She said out loud. Liz was not sure if the baby was his. She had not really advertised that she had seen someone else to Ezra but she needed more attention than he could give. She did not know what she was going to do because Ezra was going to want a paternity test and if the baby was not his he would be gone forever. She thought he would react differently to the news, but now she did not know what she was going to do.

No he did not handle it well. He was shocked by the whole situation. He also did not believe it was true and as much as he liked Liz he would not put this past her. What the hell was he going to do with a kid? He just did not understand it. They had always been careful. It was not something that Ezra screwed around with. Especially since no one he was ever with compared to Aria, he did not want to get stuck with the wrong person just because he could not keep it in his pants.

"What the hell and I going to do?" He said picking up his phone. Thank god Hardy had been on speed dial lately because the really needed some advice now.

"What's the problem now?" Hardy said without saying hello.

"She's pregnant."

"Who is? Aria?"

"No, Liz is."

"You're kidding me. What are you going to do man?"

"I don't know. She's pissed at me. I asked if it was mine."

"Oh no, why did you do that?"

"She walked in while I was in the shower. I was practicing my break up speech and she overheard me. Once she knew that, suddenly she was pregnant."

"It's a little fishy but you need to give her the benefit of the doubt."

"I guess so. Hey want to hear something funny?"

"Funnier than you becoming a dad, sure why not?"

"I was thinking of hoping on a plane Friday and flying to Philly. I'm going to surprise Aria and just show up on her door step."

"That is pretty crazy but I think it might be good for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah get out of here and clear your head. Talk to her, get on the same page and then handle the Liz thing."

"Thanks man. I think I'm going to do it."

"Good. Let me know how it works for you."

"I will. Thanks for listening again today."

"Any time, but hey I need to get a life so I can start bugging you."

"I'm always around," Ezra said as he hung up. He was going to book an airline ticket. He needed to see Aria. He needed to make sure he was doing the right thing.

He found a flight to Philly via Kansas City on Friday. He booked it. He was going to see Aria. A smile grew on his face. In light of everything that happened, he should not be this happy. Maybe he was still in denial but he definitely did not think he was going to be a dad. So while he was in denial, he was going to continue to be happy and keep looking forward to seeing Aria. He sent Aria a text message.

_I could use a hug._

"You guys need to see this," Aria squealed.

"He is so cute," Hanna said.

"This is really going in the right direction." Spencer added.

"Answer him back," Hanna said.

"Ok I will. Jeez, what do I say?" Aria asked.

"Think of something cute." Spencer said.

_The next time I see you, I'll give you a big hug._

"Perfect," Spencer and Hanna said together.

"God, Friday can't come soon enough!" Aria yelled into the air.

They all laughed because it was true. The sooner Aria actually got to visit with Ezra, see what was really happening between them, the sooner she could move on with her life. Six more days and she would know what her future held.

Ezra smiled when he saw the incoming message. Little did Aria know she would be seeing him sooner than she thought. He responded to her message.

_I'll hold you to that._


	5. Chapter 5

Clearly the week was moving slowly. Slower than a snail's pace it seemed. Aria was trying to get through her classes, but her students were starting to notice that her mind was somewhere else. She also had not heard from Ezra after his last text. She was trying to not let it bother her. They were not dating, yet, so they did not need to know what was going on every second of each other's life and he was probably busy. But she missed him.

On Thursday afternoon during a discussion about the book Ethan Frome, her student Mark raised his hand. "Yes Mark," Aria said.

"Is something wrong Ms. Montgomery?"

"No, why do you ask?" She blushed because she was embarrassed that her students knew that something was going.

"I don't know, you just seem like you are somewhere else."

"Honestly, you are right. Some stuff has been going on and my mind is somewhere else. You are all very observant to notice. I guess it's not that easy to hide and I should be more sympathetic when I can notice your minds wandering. Of course I know that some of that time it's because I'm boring you," she said and the entire class started to laugh. "Thank you Mark for bringing me back to reality. Let's stop talking about Ethan Frome, we can pick that up tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me," one of the students said.

"We have thirty minutes left. I want all of you to take ten minutes and come up with an idea for a reality show. You need to have a title, what the concept will be and what the point is. What you want the television population to see. After ten minutes we'll take the rest of the class time and you can pitch your ideas to us. Sound good." She asked as they all gave the collective ok. "You have ten minutes starting now."

The rest of class was great. The students had some wild ideas for television shows. Aria really enjoyed the class. She was now getting excited, because little did her class know she was calling in sick tomorrow, so they would end up with a free period anyways. Ethan Frome could wait until Monday when she got back from California. She needed to text Ezra tonight and find out his address. She was going to lie and say she was sending him something. Little did he know she was sending herself.

His week had not been much better. He had tried really hard to avoid the office as much as he could. He was pretty sure Liz had told all the women in the office and they were going to hate him. It made him so angry. They never sat down and had a conversation about being exclusive. She had mentioned going out with other people when they started dating, how did he know if she stopped or not. He hated to admit it but over the past three or four months they had not been having sex on a regular basis so there were not even that many opportunities to conceive a child.

He could not think about this now. He wanted to think about Aria. Tomorrow he was getting on a plane and going to see her. He would have to tell her about the mess he was in at some point but it did not need to ruin their reunion initially. Suddenly his phone vibrated.

_So I'd like to mail you something. What's your address?_

Now he was curious. What did she want to send him? He responded quickly.

_Is it a present?_

_It might be._

_Sweet, my address is 1251 Ocean Rd, Seaside._

_Great, keep a look out for something from me._

_I will. Can I have a hint?_

_Oh sorry, my next class is coming in. Keep an eye out._

He had no idea what she was planning but now he was intrigued. Hopefully she will wait to mail it and he could see his present tomorrow.

"That was close," Aria said. How was she supposed to describe a fake present? She could not start describing herself it would be too easy to figure out. No communication right now was best.

Aria's phone rang startling her. It was Spencer calling. "Hello."

"So are you all packed?"

"I think so. I mean I'm not bringing much it's only for 2 nights, barely. I'm playing hooky tomorrow."

"That's a good idea. You don't want to be stressed running to the airport. Did you talk to Noel?"

"No I didn't talk to him, I haven't heard from him since Sunday. I'll tell him if he calls. You'd think someone who just proposed would want to spend as much time with their fiancé as possible and suddenly he's nowhere to be found."

"That is kind of strange."

"Whatever, I don't want to think about him now. I'm nervous about seeing Ezra."

"Why? You guys will fall into each other's arms like no time has passed."

"I hope so because I could really use that right now."

"It will be great. Have a safe trip and keep me posted."

"I will," Aria said hanging up the phone.

Back in California, Ezra was talking to Hardy. "So you'll feed him twice a day and two walks a day," Ezra said handing Hardy the leash.

"Of course. Ezra, Harp will be fine. Buster and he will have a great time together. I have done this before."

"I know I'm just freaking out because of everything that is going on. I need something to go right."

"Dude, pack your bag and go to the airport. In like," he said looking at his watch, "eight hours you'll be driving to Rosewood to see the woman of your dreams. Enjoy the anticipation."

"Wow, you have quite the knack for words. Thanks I will. Harp, be good for Hardy," he said patting him on the head. Harp looked at him happily. He loved Hardy's because he always got extra treats, that's why his tail was wagging a mile a minute.

Ezra walked them to the car and waved good bye. He went back into the house and put a bag together and head out. He flight was at 10am. He had plenty of time to get there. He would be in Kansas City in three hours. His layover was an hour and a half but that was just enough time to grab a bite to eat.

Aria was all set. She was glad she took an afternoon flight. Flying had always stressed her out and this way she could get up and take her time. Her flight left at 1pm, she changed it because she wanted to get into LA sooner and have more time with Ezra. It took about two and a half hours to get to Kansas City and then off to LA. Her layover was about almost two hours. It was not great but it was the only flight that got her to California.

Aria arrived in Kansas City. The local time was 2:45pm. The time change was a little confusing but she was half way there, she did not care. They had been a little late leaving so she was excited her layover was long. What she was not happy about was the storms rolling in and the potential for tornados? She could not believe it. Currently her flight was delayed by an hour so she sat at the gate reading her book. The airline staff told them to keep checking the times because unfortunately they really thought that the flights would be cancelled and did not want everyone getting their hopes up.

Ezra arrived three gates down the terminal from her. It was 3:03pm and as he checked his connection he saw the whole board changed from delayed to cancelled. Immediately he walked over to the counter. "Why are all the flights cancelled?"

"There are tornados in the area and all the flights have been grounded, sir. I'm sorry but no flights will be going out tonight, per the National Weather Service."

"Great, just great," he yelled at the woman. After taking a breath he turned back to her, "I'm sorry to yell it's not your fault. How do I get rebooked for tomorrow?"

"It's ok sir, I know it's frustrating. Honestly I would go book a room at the hotel attached to the airport before they are all gone first and then head down to the ticketing agent."

"Thanks for the advice and again I'm sorry for yelling." Ezra started walking towards baggage claim and followed the signs pointing to the Westin that was part of the airport.

Aria noticed that her flight was cancelled as well. She headed for the _Westin _quickly. She had already talked to the airline personnel and they advised that she do this so at least she did not have to sleep in the airport for the evening. She had missed Ezra by minutes at the check in desk.

Both of them were standing in identical hotel rooms on the same floor looking out the window at the black clouds and pouring rain. The sounds of thunder could be heard in the distance. It was going to get worse before it was going to get better. The both pulled out their phones and started texting to let people know where they were.

Aria texted Hanna and Spencer. _Stuck in Kansas City due to weather, probably not going to make it this weekend. What a waste._

Ezra texted Hardy. _Stuck in Kansas City. Maybe this was a bad idea. Heading to the bar for a drink._

Both of them knew the odds of getting on flights in the morning were slim to none. Everyone that was booked for tomorrow still had their seats. They would end up flying stand-by and who knows how well that would work.

Ezra headed to the bar to grab a drink. He was surprised that it was not busy and he was able to get a seat. He ordered a beer and began looking at his phone. Should he text Aria? He wanted to know what she was doing.

He did not know that Aria was brushing her teeth and hair upstairs, preparing to head down to the bar to grab some dinner. She did not feel like room service. She exited the elevator and headed to the restaurant. The restaurant and bar were not very full, but suddenly a feeling of excitement consumed her. She could not describe what she felt but there was electricity in the air. As she turned to face the bar she knew immediately why she felt this way.

There he sat in a bar stool. She knew that silhouette anywhere. The dark curly hair gave him away as well. She watched him as he suddenly shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. She wondered if he was feeling the same electricity as her. Suddenly she was brave and began walking towards the empty seat next to him.

"Is this seat taken?" She asked.

"Aria?" He said turning. He would know that voice anywhere.

"Ezra, what are you doing here?" She asked taking a step back, allowing him to turn and see her fully.

He stood from his chair and embraced her. She was initially surprised by his action but she quickly melted into his arms. Filling in the spot she filled so many years before. "I told you I was going to hold you to that hug. What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" They broke apart and took seats at the bar.

"Surprise," she said. "You just got your present."

"That's why you asked for my address, you were coming to visit?"

"Yeah I was. Where were you going?"

"To visit you. Surprise!" He said making a goofy gesture with his hand. "I guess I was your present."

"So if the weather did not foil our plans we would have missed each other."

"Looks like it." He smiled at her and was having a difficult time taking his eyes off of her. Even when the bartender asked if they wanted to order drinks he barely turned to face him while ordering his beer. "God it is so good to see you." He said grabbing hold of her hand.

With her free hand she sipped her beer. Putting it down on the bar, she looked into his eyes, "It's so wonderful to see you." They sat for a few minutes staring at each other.

She was as beautiful as she remembered; beautiful chestnut hair and big hazel eyes. Her broad smile brightened her face. She actually glowed while she sat their staring back at him.

The brown curls, always slightly out of place. His deep blue eyes were still able to pierce your soul when they looked at you. He looked exactly the same and it was a wonderful sight to see.

"Would you like to join me, with our drinks, in my room? It's quiet there and easier to talk?" He asked. There was so much that he wanted to say and ask and he did not want to be hindered by the crowd or the noise level.

"Yeah, I think that would be great. We could use some peace and quiet to catch up." She said throwing money on the bar. "That should cover it," she said standing up heading towards the elevator.

As they walked away they over heard the bartender talking to another patron. "That was the quickest pick up I've ever seen." They both began to laugh as the entered the elevator.

When they arrived in Ezra's hotel room they took seats at the little table by the window. The electricity was in the air and they both could sense it. There was so much to talk about and neither one knew where to start. This was their shot at happiness together and both were afraid to blow it. Of course they also have their respective issues going on at home, but right now it was easier to pretend those things did not exist.

"So I'm just going to say it," Ezra began. "What happened in the past was not great. I have regretted it every day since but I do think I made the right choice and hopefully you don't hate me for that decision."

"I agree. It was a terrible situation and by ending the relationship we were both allowed to have a more normal life. I don't hate you, I could never hate you. As a teenager I just felt rejected, as an adult I understand the motive behind your decision." Aria blurted out.

"Good, I'm glad we cleared that up." He said chuckling.

"Me too. There is one other thing we need to discuss," Aria said standing to throw her bottle away.

"Yeah, what's that?"

"This," she said turning quickly and kissing him. Her lips pressed firmly against his, but once she realized he was kissing her back, they softened and they both slowly relaxed into the kiss. Ezra cupped her face in his hands. Both of their mouths parted allowing their tongues to explore. He pulled her into his lap and they continued to kiss feverishly at times as if they stopped the other would disappear.

Suddenly in one quick movement Ezra stood them up. As they continued to kiss each other he lifted her arms over her head pulling her top off. Aria's fingers fumbled as she unbuttoned his shirt. The both kicked their shoes off. Ezra lifted Aria up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he walked towards the bed. He lowered her to the bed and quickly joined her. Within minutes they were both naked, under the covers making love. Their bodies had become one moving in unison. Neither wanted to let go, even for a second. They were taking the built up tension out on each other, slowly building towards a climax that both wanted and achieved. Both had waited a long time to do this again and it was worth the wait.

**A/N So I posted 3 chapters tonight. Hopefully they were not too disjointed. I hope you enjoy and continue to review. I'll continue piecing the more of the story together so I can update soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Thank you for all the reviews I really appreciate them. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story.**

Lying together in bed, Aria rested her head on his chest, her hand on his stomach tracing an invisible line. Ezra wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Both were dozing, blissfully happy. Ezra started to mumble. "What?" Aria asked.

"Do you want to hear something funny?"

"Of course I do."

"Did you read the book "Defying Odds"? He asked stroking her hair.

"Um yes and I loved it."

"I wrote it."

"Shut up, you did not?"

"Yes, I am Elizabeth Fitzgerald."

"Then that means," she said sitting up and looking him in the eye.

"Yeah, I got your letter."

"You are such a creep; you knew I'd be contacting you. You basically told me to." She said smacking his chest playfully.

"Hey, that hurts," he said pouting. "And I only hoped you'd be contacting me. I wasn't sure if you were writing about us or not. Ten years is a long time you know."

"You know it's so funny because when I read the book I thought about us a lot. I mean the story isn't quite the same but it made me think of our past. Why wouldn't it? My boyfriend wrote it, well my boyfriend at the time." She blushed slightly, smiling at him. "I was drawn to the book and the writer. I felt she really knew me and understood me. Little did I know 'he' did!"

"I had a hard time handling our break up. Even Hardy said it might be time to seek professional help. So I decided to write a journal and that turned into a novel. You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Well I didn't want you to think I aired out our dirty laundry for everyone to know. And I don't want you to think I tricked you to get you back."

"I don't think that at all. It's a little weird but it brought me back to you and that makes me happy."

"Good, because it really was the only way I knew how to deal with all of those feelings."

"I see and how are you doing with all those feelings now," she said playfully.

"I'm good, the feelings I have right now are great. If I never leave this bed or this room I would be a happy man."

"But real life is waiting for us on the other side of that door."

"True but not until Sunday."

"That's a great way to think about it. I do need to go get my stuff from my room though. It's just down the end of the hall."

"That sounds like a plan and then maybe we could grab some dinner. I'm starving."

"Me too. I'm borrowing your shirt," she said as she slipped out of bed. She pulled on her pants and his shirt. "I am going to collect all of my stuff and call the girls then I'll be back. We can decide about dinner then."

"Fine with me." He called after her as she headed out the door to her own room. He needed to call Hardy, he was not going to believe this.

Ezra climbed out of bed and pulled his pants back on. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw the big smile on his face. He had not looked like this in years. Being with Aria for three whole hours had changed him for the better. Fumbling around the room he finally found his phone and decided to call Hardy.

"Hey so what happened did you get out of Kansas City?"

"She's here we both got grounded and we both are staying at the same hotel."

"How is that even possible?"

"She had the same idea and was on her way to visit me. What are the odds that we would meet here? I am telling you man it's fate."

"So did anything happen?"

"It was amazing. This is the person I am meant to spend my entire life with. I just know it."

"Did you tell her about the book? Did you tell her about Liz?"

"Yes to the book and the letter. She wasn't mad or anything. She said she wasn't totally surprised because the book reminded her so much of us."

"And what about Liz?"

"You noticed I left that out huh?"

"Yeah, I did. You need to tell her. If this is everything you think it is, no lies this time. Everything out in the open."

"I know. I will, just not right this second. We just need a little while in this blissful bubble, then I'll tell her. We are staying in Kansas City until our flights on Sunday."

"Nice a little vacation at the airport. Sounds good to me."

"Doesn't it though. Hey take care of Harp and I'll see you Monday."

"Will do man and just remember, you need to tell her."

"I will," Ezra said hanging up from Hardy. How was he going to tell Aria he potentially was going to be a dad? He did not want to have to explain the details but Hardy was right. No lies this time. Everything out in the open, all the cards on the table.

Aria made her way down the hall to her room without bumping into anyone. She could only imagine how she looked. When she got into her room she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and she looked slightly disheveled but she had the goofiest grin on her face and she felt amazing. She was on cloud nine and she knew it was all because of Ezra.

She quickly packed up the bathroom and got her bag together. Then sitting on the bed she pulled out her phone calling Spencer. "Spencer you are not going to believe this."

"What is it? Can Hanna listen she's here too?"

"Of course, put me on speaker."

"Ok tell us,"

"Ezra and I just made love!"

"What?" They both screamed in unison.

"I thought you were stuck in Kansas City," Spencer said.

"We are, we're both stuck. He was coming to visit me. We're both in the same hotel. If this relationship isn't meant to be I don't know what is."

"I knew it. I am so glad you went for him." Hanna said. "He is your one true love and this just shows you are connected on so many different levels."

"I am still in shock. He's everything I ever wanted and he's right here with me."

"You are talking to us while he's in the room," Hanna asked.

"No I'm in my own room, I needed to get my bag and stuff."

"Oh thank god. He doesn't need to think we haven't grown up yet and still gossip about boys." Spencer said. "Have you told him about Noel?"

"Not yet. I don't really know how to bring it up. Plus I could always just end it and he wouldn't have to know."

"Good point," Hanna chimed in.

"No Aria, you need to tell him. No lies this time. Lies got you into trouble the last time you tried this. You need to have a clean slate and be completely honest from the beginning. If this is your chance at happiness you don't want anything to screw it up."

"Good point. I have until Sunday to tell him."

"What do you mean?" They asked.

"We are staying in Kansas City for the weekend. Nothing says romance like a getaway to the airport." Aria could only hear laughing. "Plus we both have flights out on Sunday so why not spend the time together instead of trying to get somewhere else."

"Good point." Spencer said. "Keep us posted on how it's going and don't forget to clear the air about Noel."

"I won't, I promise. I'll talk to you soon." She said as she hung up the phone. "Crap, I forgot to tell them about the book. I'll do it when I get home." She said out loud.

Aria stood up, took one last look around the room and then headed towards the door. She paused for a moment at the mirror and trying to smooth her hair. Then she headed back down the hall to Ezra's room. She did not have a key so she knocked. He answered the door in just his jeans. She could not help but stare because he looked great. "I could really get used to this," she said as he pulled her into the room.

"So could I," he said leaning down to kiss her. "Of course I need my shirt back if we are going to go to dinner." He said winking at her.

"I think you look great like that."

"Well since I'm actually hungry, I'm going to wear a shirt because I want service when I arrive."

"You better put shoes on too," she said laughing.

"Very funny," he said pulling at his shirt.

"So what's the plan?"

"I thought we could grab dinner downstairs and watch a movie up here."

"That sounds good to me." She said slowly unbuttoning the shirt, revealing her bare chest to him. "Here's your shirt," she said throwing it at him. She picked up her bra and shirt and headed for the bathroom.

"You're killing me," he called after her. He got dressed and combed his messy hair. Just as he was finishing, Aria came out of the bathroom. How was she able to look amazing in ten minutes? Completely put back together, every hair in place, the only give away that anything happened was the big smile on her face. "You look great," he said.

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself."

"Shall we go?"

"Yes. I wonder if that bartender is still down there. That comment was too funny."

"I know, come on lets go." He opened the door for her. He followed her out of the room. As they walked down the hall towards the elevator their hands found their way to each other's.

The bartender did notice their return when they took seats at the bar once again. "Enjoying your stay at the hotel?" He asked giving them a wink.

"Yes, thank you." Ezra replied.

"Would you like to see some menus?" The bartender asked.

"Yes, please." Aria responded.

They used the time at dinner to talk about all the things they should have upstairs. They discussed work and friends. Aria updated Ezra on the girls. She explained that Hanna and Caleb were still going strong and that Spencer and Toby were happy but taking things slowly since Spencer returned from law school. Emily had moved to Texas and she only heard from her occasionally.

Ezra explained that Hardy also lived on the west coast, literally two towns over. They had really reconnected since he moved out there. He also explained how the whole idea of the pen name came along. It was easier to sell a romance novel by a female author than a male. Ezra's family was doing well but he did not see them much. He mostly conversed via email or video chat. He told her about Harp, his yellow lab, that he loved. He had him since he was a puppy and could not imagine life without him.

By the time dessert came they seemed to be up to date. They discussed college for Aria and now how much she loved teaching. As they spoke it was as if no time had passed. Their friendship had always bonded them and it was like they had found their best friends again.

Perched on her barstool Aria was enthralled in what Ezra had to say. He had a way about him when he spoke. He was animated and genuinely excited about the subject he was speaking about. She could see the teacher in him, the light in his eyes. She had missed this, the conversations about nothing and just spending time with her best friend.

"What are you thinking about?" Ezra asked.

"Huh? Oh nothing. Just thinking about you. I've really missed you and I'm afraid if blink or let you leave my sight you'll disappear for another ten years."

"Aria," he said taking her hand. "I am not going anywhere. It took us a long time to get here and I'm not willing to let anything jeopardize my second chance with you."

"I thought you'd say something like that."

"I don't know about you but I'm stuffed and I'm exhausted. Are you all done?"

"Yes I am. I wouldn't mind getting some rest either."

They paid their bill and said good night to the bartender. Since neither of them had any plans of actually leaving the hotel this weekend, they would probably see him again tomorrow. They headed toward the elevators. They looked like any normal couple in love. It was hard to believe that eight hours earlier they had not seen each other in ten years and now it would take an entire army to separate them.

When they arrived at Ezra's room they both decided on getting ready for bed. All Aria wanted to do was lie with Ezra while they watched a movie and cuddle. She had a feeling if she could get into that comfortable position she would not see much of the movie. It had been an emotional day and it was finally catching up with her.

Ezra wanted to hold Aria in his arms while they watched the movie. Even though he had told her not to worry, that he was not going anywhere, he was also afraid if he lost sight of her she would disappear too. He did not want to chance that. He would not last another ten years. Ezra climbed into bed and settled in. When Aria came out of the bathroom she joined him on the other side of the bed. He lifted his arm up and said, "Come here and lay with me."

Aria crawled towards him resting her head and hand on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and the settled in to watch a movie. "This is very comfortable." Aria said.

"Glad I could be of service," Ezra chuckled while he stroked her hair. _An Affair to Remember_ was on but within minutes they both began to doze off. The comfort of being together had taken over and finally they were both able to relax and enjoy the moment.


	7. Chapter 7

Aria awoke startled. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust and figure out where she was. She had not slept that well in a really long time. Suddenly she realized she was alone in bed. A light was glowing from underneath the bathroom door; she figured Ezra was in there. She grabbed her phone off of the bed side table to check the time. It was 9:30am and she had six missed calls and ten text messages. She knew who they were from. She erased the missed calls and looked at the last text message.

_It would be nice if my fiancé would let me know when she is going away. Common courtesy isn't a bad thing!_

She was fuming. He had some nerve to tell her about common courtesy. He did not answer his phone the beginning of last week and she finally gave up trying to contact him. Some fiancé he is. She texted him back.

_I am visiting a friend from college who had a baby. Maybe if you answered my messages from the beginning of the week you would know. I'll talk to you Monday._

She was just waiting for the response. Noel was a nice guy when he wanted to be. If he did not get his way or if you were not doing what he wanted you to do he was not. Normally this is when Aria would take a break and not see him for a few weeks but now with the whole engagement thing looming over her head she knew what she had to do. As she sat in bed waiting for Ezra she could hear talking through the bathroom door.

"Liz I can't discuss this now. I am requesting a paternity test and that's it. I'm sorry to sound like an ass but the probability is just not good. Plus I know you were seeing someone else." He said. There was a pause while the other person must have been talking.

Aria could not believe he just said paternity test. Apparently they had not aired out everything that they needed to last night.

"I will talk to you Monday. Don't push me because soon you'll just be dealing with my lawyer." Suddenly the door flew open as he entered the room. "Oh good morning. I didn't think you were up yet."

"Yeah, I've been up for a few minutes. I guess we have some things to talk about."

"I guess we do," he said climbing back into bed.

"Can I go first?" Aria asked.

"Of course you can, I just figured you wanted to know what that was all about."

"I do, but I have something to tell you too." She took a deep breath and then began. "I am engaged."

"What? Where's the ring?"

"I don't wear it. I said yes in the spur of the moment but I can't go through with it. Especially not now."

"I did not realize you were in a serious relationship. Who's the guy?"

"Well it really wasn't that serious. We would go out a couple of times a week and then take a break. The engagement was really out of the blue. You're not going to like who it is."

"Who is it Aria?"

"It's Noel Khan."

"Really, you gave that jackass the time of day again!"

"Hey, you don't need to yell at me. He was someone to do things with. All my other friends had someone they loved. They told me to take a chance and stop pining over you. So I did. It was fun for a while but I didn't think it was going anywhere. None of my relationships go anywhere and you know why!" She yelled back at him.

"I'm sorry I have no right to judge."

"No you don't. Especially when I heard the words paternity test while you were in the bathroom." She said indignantly.

"You're right and you did hear correctly. That's what I need to tell you about."

"Well I'm all ears," her tone still noticeable but she was calming down.

"Liz is a woman I work with. She is "Elizabeth Fitzgerald" or at least her face is. We got close working on the project. She knows the story is somewhat true but I did not give her all the details." He paused to take a breath. "We started dating casually but I knew she was seeing someone else too. The women in the office are gossips. Anyways, last week when I got your second email I decided I was going to end things with her. It wasn't fair because I could never really love her and I wanted to be available for anything that happened with us." He looked at Aria.

"I see. But why do you need to get a paternity test?"

"I was practicing my break up speech in the shower and she came in and over heard me. She blurted out that she was pregnant. I don't believe it's mine. We have always been safe and quite honestly there aren't that many chances for it to happen. But I also didn't handle the situation well. And I'm probably still not."

"Wow that's a lot to digest. Ezra you could be a dad."

"I know but like I said to Liz if I am the father I'll take the responsibility but it doesn't mean I'm going to marry her. I don't love her and that's not fair to her."

"That's so easy to say now though but once the baby comes your feelings may change."

"I know but I will never love her like I love you," he said.

"I think I need a minute. I'm going to take a shower, ok?"

"Sure," he said deflated. Her news about Noel was nothing in comparison to his and he knew that. It was a lot to take; even he was still adjusting to it. Plus he did not want the first time he said I love you to be like this. He heard the water turn on. He could only imagine what she thought of him. He was going to tell her but did not expect to start the day off like this.

Aria stood in the shower letting the hot water pour over her. Her mind was racing. She could not believe that Ezra was going to be a father, potentially anyways. Her heart sank. This was their time to finally get it right and now everything seemed to be falling apart. Aria was lost in thought. She did not hear him come into the bathroom. She finally felt him behind her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her back against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and just held her. He could feel her body tremble slightly, he knew she was crying. He turned her to face him, putting his finger on her chin to lift her head up to look at him.

"I love you Aria. No matter what we will make this work."

"You promise," she whispered trying to hold back the tears.

"Yes I do." He pulled her into an embrace and held her.

Aria melted into his embrace and began to cry. She was crying about the baby issue. She was crying about the time lost. She was crying about their break up. All of the feeling she had kept pent up inside were spilling out and he just held her until she was done. It seemed to last forever but she finally calmed down and looked at him. "I love you too. I don't want to waste any more time on this stuff. Today is time to enjoy together and tomorrow we'll put a plan together about going forward."

"That sounds good to me." He said leaning in to kiss her. "Now let's get clean and go explore the airport." The both started to laugh at that comment. They began to play a game of I'll wash your back if you wash mine. A ten minute shower turned into an hour but they did not care. Finally they were ready for the day and it was time to explore.

"Oh we need to rent the room for another night too." Aria said.

"Good point. I would have totally forgotten to do that." Ezra laughed as they headed down to the lobby.

They had a fabulous day souvenir shopping in the terminal. Taking goofy pictures with their phones, sending them to their friends. Being together was always easy. The comfort level between the two of them came naturally. Whether they were talking a mile a minute about nothing or sitting in complete silence, there was never the need to fill the space or keep the conversation going. Even after being apart for ten years, the ease of their relationship had not changed.

"I'm thinking room service and some snuggling," Aria said when they had made their way back to the lobby of the hotel.

"I like that idea. Maybe a little more than snuggling." He said with a wink.

"You are so bad."

"Come on. You can show me how bad I am," he said grabbing her hand and pulling her into the elevator.

They spent the evening in bed. They made love, they ate dinner, they dozed off then they made love again. Neither could get enough of the other. Aria's head was resting on Ezra's chest and her fingers were tracing lines on his stomach. "Can we stay here forever?"

"I wish we could," he said. "Our own private bubble where no one can bother us."

"Exactly, a world where only we exist." She said looking at him. "Tomorrow is going to be tough."

"Yeah it will be. We'll get through it though. We're going to make a plan. But not tonight. Tonight I am going to hold you in our private bubble because we're the only ones that exist right now and I'm going to enjoy that feeling."

"Ok," she said leaning in for a kiss. She put her head back on his chest and felt his arm squeeze her a little tighter. She liked being in this bubble and she was not ready to leave. Tomorrow they could deal with the rest of it.

When they awoke the next morning they moved around the room almost ignoring each other. They went about their routines getting ready to leave. Aria was avoiding eye contact because she did not want to start crying. The feelings were hovering right under the surface. Ezra could feel the tension and knew she was upset about saying goodbye. He was trying to not do anything to make her upset. When they both were dressed and packed he turned and looked at her. "All set," he asked. Aria just shrugged her shoulders signaling she was.

"Come here," he said opening his arms to her. She shook head. "Aria, please," he asked. She walked into his embrace and buried her face in his chest. He smoothed her hair and kissed the top of her head. He knew she was crying. He wanted to cry as well but he was really trying to stay strong. He tilted her chin so she would look at him. Tears were streaming down her face. "Ready to go?"

"No," she whispered.

"Me either but it's time."

"I know. Come on before I start crying again," she said wiping her eyes.

They headed out of the room and checked out of the hotel. They made it through security quickly and headed to a seating area in between both of their gates.

They sat in the airport waiting for their flights. Ezra held her hand and Aria had her legs up resting on his knee. Anybody passing by would think they were a couple in love, heading somewhere together. Little did they know they were saying goodbye to each other and they weren't sure for how long. Both had put on brave faces and were trying to keep the afternoon light.

The tears were right at the surface for Aria and she was trying desperately not to cry. She broke the silence first. "So we need a plan." She said.

"I agree," he said making eye contact with her. She immediately dropped her eyes to her lap.

"I don't think this should be 'goodbye'. I think this should be 'see you soon'. I think we need to set a date to meet again."

"I'm game for that. Maybe in a month? Do you think that's enough time to clear the air with Noel? That is your plan, right?"

"Of course that is my plan and yes that should be enough time. I want to take care of that as soon as possible. What about you? Is a month enough for you?"

"I don't know if it's enough time to get results but it's enough time to put things in motion. I don't want to be away from you any longer than that."

"Where should we meet?"

"Is it silly to say here?" He asked.

"I was thinking the same thing," she laughed. "It's convenient. It's like a half-way point."

"Right and next time we could actually leave the airport."

"Yes we could."

"Good then it's settled. When it gets closer we'll coordinate flights so we arrive around the same time. I also want to make a point to call each other. I know the time change is tough but we can work that out. Texts are fun but I want to be able to hear your voice."

"I want to hear your voice too," she smiled. "So I think we're good. We'll be back here in four weeks. I'll take care of my stuff while you take care of yours and we'll keep in touch. I feel better."

"Me too."

Suddenly they were interrupted by the PA system. They were calling Aria's flight to Philadelphia. Secretly she was really happy she was leaving before Ezra. She could cry on the airplane, but she didn't want to sit crying in the airport.

They stood up and walked towards the gate. Ezra was holding her hand the whole way. As they approached he pulled her into an embrace. Squeezing her tightly at first then he released her enough so he could look at her. His hand brushed the side of her face and he leaned in to kiss her. His lips were soft on her lips. He was trying to imprint this feeling on his brain so he could go back to it over the next four weeks that he would be missing her. Finally he pulled away. Looking at her directly in her big hazel eyes he said, "I love you Aria, with all my heart."

"I love you too," she said nuzzling into his chest trying to hide the tears that were coming.

"I'll see you soon," he whispered into her ear. Pushing her away. He gave her a quick kiss and said "Get on the plane; I'm going to go because I can't watch you leave."

"Ok, I'll see you soon," she said wiping her eyes and turned towards the gate. She handed them her boarding pass and kept walking. She could not turn around; she did not want to watch him walk away. She did not want to dredge up memories of the past.

Ezra kept walking towards the gate he was leaving from. His flight departed in an hour. He could not bear to watch her leave. Thankfully she left first. He did not want to feel like he was abandoning her at the airport. They had a plan and he was going to follow that plan. The first thing he did when he got back to work Monday was call his lawyer. He wanted to know what steps needed to be taken for a paternity test. He wanted to start his life with Aria and he needed to know what he could plan for.

Luckily Aria was able to take an earlier flight home and she landed in Philadelphia and was home in her apartment around 8pm. She was due to get in at 7am and go to work. This way she would not be a complete zombie at work. She wondered how Ezra was. He was probably still flying. She sent him a quick text before heading to bed, the emotions of the day exhausted her and she hoped she could sleep

_I love you!_

He would get it when he landed. She snuggled into her pillows and tried to sleep. It was not the same as sleeping with him but she would try to manage.

Ezra turned on his phone as he was pulling away from the airport. He got the text from Aria and smiled. Checking his watch it was too late to text back. He would do it first thing in the morning. He did not want to wake her. He was lost in thought driving home. It had been a very emotional weekend but he wanted to be back in that hotel room. He did not want to be heading home alone. At least Harp would be back tomorrow so he would not feel so lonely. He climbed into his bed and stared at the ceiling. It was going to be a long night and the next four weeks are going to be worse.

**A/N Thank you for reading. Like I said I've been working on this a while so it's easy to put chapters up, well until the spot where I got stuck. I'm hoping all of the re-reading of the story will give me some inspiration to keep going. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. I love all your comments.**


	8. Chapter 8

Aria awoke early and got ready for school. She was prepared to discuss Ethan Frome today. Hopefully her class was too. She needed today to fly by. She needed to talk to Spencer and Hanna because she was not sure how to handle Noel and how to handle Ezra. Before classes started she sent texts to them both.

_Girl's night tonight. We need to talk. I'll order Chinese._

Spencer responded.

_Sounds good to me._

Hanna also answered.

_I'll bring wine._

Good it was settled. She would lay all the cards on the table so they could help her sort through everything.

Ezra awoke early. Calls to Liz and his lawyer needed to be made, as well as picking Harp up. First he answered Aria's text message.

_I love you too! Have a good day at school._

As he was pulling up to Hardy's house, Hardy and Harp were walking out to meet him. Both seemed happy to see him. "So how was he?" Ezra asked Hardy.

"He was great. He's always a good boy when he visits." Hardy said patting Harp on the head.

"Did you miss me, buddy?" Ezra asked Harp as he squatted so we could give him a good rub behind the ears. Harp responded by licking his face. "I guess you did."

"So, I'm just going to ask. Did you tell her?" Hardy asked.

"Of course I did. It didn't happen the way I planned but I told her."

"What do you mean?"

"She overheard me and Liz having an argument and she hears paternity test so I had to tell her."

"How did she react?"

"She was upset but I think I smoothed everything over. She's afraid that I'll fall in love with Liz if the baby is mine. I told her that's not the case. I can't lose her again. I don't think I can handle it."

"Well first things first. Let's find out if you're the father. Then we'll go from there. You may not be and you won't have to worry about it. Plus you can be a dad and not a husband, we all know that."

"Oh and she's engaged."

"What? I thought she was looking for you."

"She was. It happened out of the blue and she is ending it."

"You believe her?"

"Of course I do. She doesn't have a reason to lie. Plus, I have a sort of girlfriend so why couldn't she have a boyfriend."

"True but most people know and engagement is coming. You know what I mean."

"I know. She thought it was a causal relationship and he had different ideas I guess. How can I be mad? She reacted pretty well to my paternity issue."

"Ok so what's the plan? When are you seeing each other next?"

"We're meeting in Kansas City again in a month."

"Why there?"

"It's a good half way point. Plus she's still teaching she can't take a bunch of time off until the summer."

"I see. Well take the dog and get out of here. You need to go deal with Liz and get that straightened out."

"You're right. Thanks for watching Harp. Let me take you out to dinner to pay you back for it."

"Sounds good to me. Let me know how it goes with Liz."

"I will. Come on Harp let's go home and make some calls." Ezra grabbed his leash and walked him to the car.

Ezra drove home. He knew he needed to call Liz and figure everything out. He also wanted to call his lawyer and get his opinion on what he should do. Knowing Liz she was going to wait until the baby was born to find out the results, which was fine but he wanted to know what he was required to do as far as payment. He really just hoped she realized he was not going to be sucked into this whole situation. Being forced to spend time with her was not going to change his mind. He loved Aria and no one else would take her place.

"Hello," she said.

"Hey Liz it's me."

"So are you back in town?"

"Yes I am. I'm sorry the timing on this is bad but we need to figure this out."

"Well, I'm not doing a paternity test until the baby is born. So you have another six months to deal with me, at least."

"Fine. I am going to call my lawyer and have a document drawn up that states I am protesting the paternity of the baby so that I am legally allowed to get the test when the baby is born. I will also find out if there are any financial responsibilities that I am required to pay now. If so, I will have another document drafted that states if I am not the father all monies paid out will be repaid to me after the birth of the baby."

"Fine, whatever you need to do."

"Liz, I need to protect myself as well as you."

"Ezra, you do what you have to do. Oh and your lawyer can contact mine from now on."

"Fine Liz. Whatever you want." After that he hung up the phone. He was trying to remain calm on the phone and avoid drama but she was not budging on the issue so he needed to go before he said anything that could be held against him later.

Ezra knew he needed to contact his lawyer but he would have to wait until Tuesday. His lawyer did not work Mondays. Ezra hoped that this would all work out and that the plans he wanted to make with Aria would come to fruition and this whole mess with Liz would go away, but he knew it would not be that easy.

Aria checked her phone at lunch time and saw the message from Ezra. It instantly put a smile on her face. She knew what she wanted and hoped that it would all work out. She just needed her friends input to help her stay positive. She was so happy they were able to have dinner tonight and discuss everything that happened. She knew she would always go with her heart and she needed Spencer to help put it into perspective and Hanna to side with her position. She could not wait for tonight.

"Hello," Spencer said answering her phone.

"Hey, Spence it's me."

"Hanna, where are you? I'm just pulling up to Aria's building."

"Don't go in yet I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"So I was at the liquor store grabbing a bottle of wine and I saw Noel coming out of the Grille."

"So?"

"He wasn't alone. And it wasn't a client. They were too cozy for that."

"Let's not say anything yet. We'll hear her out. Maybe she won't need to know."

"Sounds good to me. I just can't believe the audacity of that guy. If you're going to cheat don't do it here, do it somewhere else where her friends won't see you."

"Maybe he wanted to be caught."

"Maybe, alright I'm on my way. I'll be there in five."

Hanna arrived five minutes after Spencer. Aria laid out Chinese food on the counter with plates and silverware so they could eat buffet style. For a small apartment she did have an island in her kitchen which was very convenient when they needed to have powwows like this. They each took a seat at the island, ready to hear what she had to say.

"Well I expected you to be glowing, what's wrong?" Spencer asked.

"So it started off great. We both fell into the same groove. No nervousness, no moments of awkward silence, it was like we hadn't been apart at all."

"So what's the issue?" Hanna asked.

"He's going to be a father."

"What?" Spencer asked.

"You can't be pregnant already," Hanna said.

"Not me, a girlfriend he has. She told him last week she was pregnant and he doesn't think it's his. But with our luck I'm pretty much banking on the fact that he is the father."

"Oh wow, that's crazy." Hanna said shocked.

"Aria, you can't assume. Why doesn't he think he's the father?" Spencer asked.

"He said there have not been enough opportunities for it to happen and that he knows she was seeing someone else. He's making her have a paternity test."

"Well that's good. He's doing the right thing." Spencer looked at her reassuringly.

"Yeah, plus he said even if he's the dad he's not marrying her."

"Well there you go. You guys can still be together no matter what." Hanna said happily.

"I'm afraid he'll fall in love with her because she's the mother of his child."

"Aria, he hasn't fallen in love with anyone in ten years. You shouldn't worry about that. He loves you and has only loved you." Spencer said.

"I know. I'm just worried. I need to just wait and see what happens."

"How did he take the news about Noel?" Hanna asked.

"He was ok about it. I mean he didn't like the fact it was Noel but he understands. Plus I'm breaking it off anyways and I would have even if I never saw Ezra again. Noel isn't right for me and I know it."

"Good, I think that's a good plan." Spencer said as she made eye contact with Hanna. Crisis averted she thought.

"Oh my god I totally forgot what else I need to tell you. You know the book _Defying Odds_."

"Yeah, I loved it," Hanna said.

"Ezra wrote it. He's Elizabeth Fitzgerald."

"Shut up!" Hanna screeched.

"So he got your letter?" Spencer asked.

"Yes he did. He knew I'd be getting in touch with him."

"Were you mad he didn't tell you sooner?" Spencer asked.

"No, not really. That would have been a really odd conversation. Plus like he said he wasn't sure I'd be contacting him. He just hoped."

"Aww that's pretty sweet." Spencer said.

"It's totally fate Aria. You can't let him go this time. Everything is working in your favor." Hanna gushed.

"I really think it is. I just want it so badly, I'm afraid to jinx it."

"So how are you going to handle Noel?" Spencer asked.

"Jeez, Spence way to bring the good thoughts to a halt." Hanna said.

"That's a good question. I'm really not sure." Aria replied.

"Just go to his house, drop the ring off and tell him you can't marry him. You aren't in love with him like that and he deserves better." Spencer said. "Just stick to the point and leave. No need to drag it out."

"Yeah, I agree with Spencer. Clean and simple, just cut ties with him. And if that doesn't work you can always say it's not you it's me." Hanna said and they all started to laugh.

"He's not going to take it well, especially if he finds out about Ezra."

"Don't tell him about Ezra. It's not his business." Spencer said.

They continued to eat and gossip about Aria's trip and their guys in general. All three of them were really happy and it had not been like this in a long time. None of them wanted to say it but they all hoped it lasted.

As Aria cleaned up she thought about what she had to do. Tomorrow she had to go see Noel and break up with him. It was not going to be easy but she could not prolong the inevitable. Plus she wanted to be able to tell Ezra she was ready to move forward. After she broke up with Noel, nothing would be holding her back.

Ezra woke up early. He wanted to get everything in order. He needed to talk to his lawyer as soon as possible. He headed into the office to get some work done. Ezra put a call into his lawyer Pat Sweeney and told his assistant to put him through once he called back.

Around 9am his phone buzzed. "Your lawyer, Mr. Fitz." Penny his assistant announced before putting the call through.

"Ezra Fitz," he said into the phone.

"Hey Ezra what can I do for you?"

"I need a couple of documents drawn up to deal with a paternity issue I'm having."

"Sure I can handle that for you. What's going on?" Pat asked. Ezra explained the whole situation and Pat used all his legal terms explaining to Ezra what he would set up for him.

"Thanks Pat. I just really need to protect myself here."

"Exactly. It's a good thing you're being proactive about this. I'll get everything set. We should be good until the baby is born. But if I need anything from you I'll call."

"Sounds good. Thanks Pat." Ezra hung up feeling good. He felt he had done the right thing. At least this way he was legally protected and Liz would not be able to drag things on forever after the baby is born. He decided to send Aria an email and give her a heads up about what was going on.

_Hey you,_

_Just so you know Liz is not going to get a paternity test until after the baby is born. I have had some documents drawn up by my lawyer stating that I contest the paternity and demand the test when the baby is born. I also had one drawn up to protect me against expenses during the pregnancy in case she comes after me for money. I just wanted you to be aware of what is going on so you're in the loop._

_I hope all is well. I miss you so much and it's only been a day and a half since I've seen you. At least it's one day closer to seeing you again. I wish we were back in that little hotel room inside our bubble. Reality sucks sometimes. Anyways, I love you and I'm thinking of you always. Talk to you soon._

_Love me!_

Like Hardy said, no secrets and no lies. He wanted to be completely honest about this relationship. He did not want anything to mess this up. He just hoped that Aria would see this as a good thing and a step forward. They still had six months to wait but it really did not matter to him. He knew what he wanted and a baby could be a part of that if things turned out different than he expected.

During her lunch period Aria decided to stay in her classroom and grade some papers. She wanted to get ahead for the week. That's when her phone vibrated indicating she had a new email. She was shocked to see that it was from Ezra. She was even more shocked that he had spoken to his lawyer already. It made her smile because it truly showed how serious he was about the whole situation. She was a little disappointed that she had to wait another six months before they knew if he was the father but at this point she did not really care. They would make it work. They had to make it work because she wanted to be with him. After reading his email she knew that she needed to speak with Noel tonight.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N New update. Please read and review. The next few chapters set up some Ezria fluff. I promise it's coming!**

Aria had the ring in her pocket. She was afraid if she bumped into him or his family in town they would ask to see it and she wanted to be able to have it with her. She did not want to wear it in front of her students because she was afraid the news would spread and she knew she was just ending the relationship anyways so why have to deal with that.

As school finished she decided to go grab a coffee and then call Noel. Maybe they could meet for dinner and she could tell him then. She wanted to do it as nicely as she could because she knew he would be hurt but she also had to be firm when she told him because it was over. She was ready to move on. As she pulled up in front of the coffee shop she was shocked to see Noel. "Hey, honey," she said getting out of her car in a very sarcastic tone.

"Aria, what are you doing here?" He asked. The girl with him looked embarrassed. He immediately removed his arm from around her waist.

"I'm getting a coffee. What are you doing here?" She spat at him.

"Well my client and I were discussing her books."

"Your client my ass."

"Aria, please just let me explain."

"There is absolutely no need to. I have something for you." She pulled the ring out of her pocket and shoved it into his hand. "You can keep this. I don't want it anymore."

"Aria we can work this out. Please let me explain over dinner tonight."

"Noel, I was going to break it off over dinner tonight anyways. This stunt just sealed the deal and now we can save money by not going out. It's a win win."

"You're a bitch and you have some nerve. You were going to break it off with me. I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you."

"Actually you're not. Somebody loves me for the person I am and has wanted to be with me for a very long time. He treats me well and I am taking a chance and going with my heart. I hope you and your client are very happy together." She said turning to leave.

"Right and when it doesn't work you'll come crawling back. I might not be available."

"I guess I'll have to take my chances," she shot back at him before going into the coffee shop to get her latte. Why should she turn and run? She had nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. He was the one caught cheating.

Aria had a big smile on her face as she headed home. She could not believe that he did all the work for her. The break up was way easier knowing he was a cheater. She thought he genuinely wanted to marry her. Now she thought he just wanted someone at his beck and call and why not make it her. She decided to call Spencer.

"Hey what's up?" Spencer said answering her phone.

"So I just caught Noel with another woman coming out of the coffee shop. He had the nerve to tell me she was a client. So I gave him the ring and ended it. I'm sure we'll be the buzz of town for fighting on the side walk."

"So it's done, you ended it."

"Yeah and I didn't even have to do anything. I think I need to call Ezra and let him know. Things are falling into place Spence."

"Yeah they are Aria. Good for you, it's about time something goes your way."

"Alright I'm pulling into my driveway. I'll talk to you soon."

"Sounds good. Congratulations, I guess."

"Oh yes, I'm definitely celebrating. Bye!" Aria said and hung up.

Spencer could not believe that Aria caught Noel cheating. She needed to call Hanna right away. As Hanna picked up her phone Spencer started talking. "She broke it off with Noel."

"She did, good for her."

"Yeah and she caught him cheating."

"Shut up."

"She said he was walking out of the coffee shop with some girl that he tried to pass off as a client. They had a big fight on the street and she gave him the ring back."

"I'm so glad she got to see his true colors. He's such an ass. Plus now it's a clean break. She won't feel bad for him."

"Nope she is officially done. We should take her out to celebrate."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Alright I have to go. I have a deposition to get to. Talk to you soon."

"Bye," Hanna said. She was so happy for Aria.

Aria grabbed her coffee and her school bag and headed into the apartment building. She was lucky to be on the first floor. As she entered the apartment she sensed someone there. She knew who it was and could not believe she forgot to get her key back.

"Welcome home sweetie," Noel said from the chair in the corner. She was able to hear him before she could see him. "That was some stunt you pulled on the street earlier."

"What are you doing here? I have nothing more to say to you." She said walking towards the dining room table to put her stuff down. She kept her cell phone in her pocket. She did not like how this felt.

"Well that's too bad because I have a lot to say to you." He said crossing the floor quickly. He was getting close to her, making her back up towards the wall. "How dare you speak to me like that in public?"

"How dare you embarrass me like that?"

"Who do you think you are?"

"Somebody who is not going to deal with your crap. Now give me back my key and get the hell out of here or I'm calling the cops."

"You wouldn't dare." He said grabbing her wrist and pushing her against the wall. "You are going to apologize for what you did, take the ring back and we are going to celebrate our engagement properly." Aria knew what he was insinuating and now she was scared. He was hurting her arm too. She needed a plan. "So sweetie I'm ready for that apology." He squeezed a little tighter.

"Ok," Aria said. "You're right I do owe you an apology." She said pulling her wrist from his grasp rubbing it. "Noel, I had no right to yell at you on the street," she started to say. As he began to listen he took a step back, relaxing because she was doing as she was told. He was enjoying watching her do this. He sat at the table to watch the show. That was his mistake.

As he sat down Aria made a run for it. She knew if she did not get out of the apartment he would probably seriously hurt her. She got the door open and was heading for the main door of the building. He chased after her. She made it out the door of the building and began running up the street screaming for help. Noel continued to chase her. He grabbed her arm and spun her around putting both of his hands on her shoulders. "What the hell are you doing?" He screamed at her. He slammed her into the side of the building forcing her to fall down. She bumped her head making her slightly dazed. "You will never leave me. When I'm done with you is when we are finished. When I say so." He continued to rant, putting emphasis on the word 'I'.

Aria was not sure if he was going to strike her or not but she did not have to worry. As he raised his hand it was caught from behind. He was about to swing at the person who was holding him. "Go ahead and hit me buddy, that's just another charge I can add to the list," the cop said.

"Get your hands off of me, I've done nothing wrong."

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

"What are you charging me with?"

"Let's see, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, assaulting a police officer, and of course assault and battery."

"Who did I assault?"

"The poor woman on the ground with the egg on her head. You my friend are on your way to jail. Let's go."

As Noel was being read his rights and listening to the charges the police officer's partner was tending to Aria. "Are you ok ma'am?"

"I think so. My head hurts but I just think it's a bump."

"You should probably go to the hospital. I also think you should come down to the station and file a restraining order. He'll probably get out tonight or tomorrow."

"I need my purse. I left it in the apartment. Oh I need to call the landlord, I need to change the locks. I need to call Spencer, Hanna and Ezra." She said started to get tearful and slightly out of breath.

"Ma'am you need to slow down. Let's go back to your apartment and get your purse and call your friend." Aria and the police officer walked back to the apartment. The police officer made the call to Spencer. "This is Officer Davis, is this Spencer Hastings."

"Yes it is. What's wrong with Aria?"

"Your friend has been assaulted by her boyfriend ma'am. She needs to go to the hospital and she needs to file a restraining order."

"I'm on my way." Spencer said running out of her office to the car. She was at Aria's apartment within minutes. "What happened?" She asked Aria as she hugged her.

"Noel was waiting for me when I got home. I forgot he still had a key. He was upset that I broke up with him on the street. He was making me apologize. He grabbed me and pushed me against the wall. I really thought he was going to hurt me. I made a break for it and he caught me on the street. He slammed me into the side of the building and I bumped my head."

"Oh Aria I'm so sorry." Spencer said not letting go of her friend. "Let's go to the police station and get all the paper work in order. Where is your landlord's phone number? We're going to need to call him. You are staying with me tonight."

They headed out to the police station. Aria gave the police a formal statement and she also filed a restraining order against Noel. Spencer made sure that all the documents were correct. She did not want anything screwing this up. However both girls felt this was over now. Noel liked to act tough but when push came to shove he avoided conflict. While at the police station Aria applied for a license to carry mace. She was not taking any chances.

After they went to the hospital and Aria was checked out. Nothing was broken and no concussion. She had a good bump on her head and her wrist was pretty bruised but she was ok. Spencer called the landlord to have the locks changed. He said he would get right on it. He loved Aria as a tenant. She was neat and respected her living space, plus she did not cause problems and was always on time with her rent. He would do anything for her. Spencer called Hanna to meet the landlord at the apartment to pick up some clothes and Aria's work things for tomorrow.

Hanna met them at Spencer's house. "Oh Aria, I'm so sorry." Hanna said hugging her.

"Hanna I'm ok. Really, I'm feeling better."

"She's a real trooper Han," Spencer said.

"Let's get some pizza." Hanna suggested.

"That sounds like a plan to me." Spencer said.

"Did Mr. Clark change the locks?" Aria asked.

"Oh sorry, yes he did. Here are your new keys." Hanna handed her the keys.

"Thank you. Thank you both for being there for me. Jesus Christ, who the hell would have thought this would happen. I get punished for him cheating on me. He can just go to hell."

"That's it Aria, let it out." Spencer said rubbing her back.

Aria began to cry. She cried and cried and her two friends just sat with her and let her get it all out.

Ezra had not heard from Aria all day. He was surprised because he had sent the email and he was afraid she was having second thoughts. He looked at his watch. It was 10pm and he knew it was too late to call her. It was only Tuesday so she was probably in bed sleeping because she had school the next day. He would let it go for now but in the morning he would text her to call him during her lunch break. He wanted to hear her voice and make sure she was ok. Of course he had no idea what had happened today. If he had known he would probably be on a plane to Philadelphia. Instead he was lying in bed looking at the pictures of them on his phone because it made him happy.

Aria lay in bed thinking of Ezra. How was she going to tell him what happened? Then she thought she did not have to. She could tell him they broke up and that she was free. The bruises would heal by the time they would see each other again and this way she would not make him worry. She would just pretend that it never happened. Not the best plan but she really did not want to relive the drama of today.

Ezra got up early and sent a text message to Aria.

_Call me at lunch if you can or email me. I haven't talked to you and I miss you._

He was not sure what was going on with her but he wanted to make sure she was ok. It seemed odd that she would not respond to his email. He just hoped she was still on course with the plan.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N So I know some of you may ask where this is going but I promise it's going to be ok! Please review, I love them.**

Aria made it to school today. Spencer tried to get her to stay home but she did not want to. She put on a long sleeve blouse to cover the bruising. Thankfully the bump was on the back of her head and would not cause bruising on her face. She was doing her best but her students could tell something was off.

Aria got the text in between classes. She did not want to talk to him today. She did not have the strength. She barely had the strength to teach. She knew in the next few days the police blotter in the paper would list Noel's arrest and then everyone would know. Parents would talk to students and students would gossip in the hallways. Staying under the radar for the moment felt good. She could not blow him off though because she was sure he was worried about the email he sent.

_Hey there,_

_I won't be able to call you at lunch. I have a prom committee meeting, lucky me. Sorry I've been busy the past few days. It's been crazy since I've been back. I got your email and I think it's great. I think having everything in line for the future is good. There is no way she can drag the process along. I'm not going to lie, I'm bummed she wants to wait until the baby is born, but I also respect her choice. Plus really what's six months._

_I have called it off with Noel. I gave back the ring and told him that it was over. It feels good to be free and feels good to not be sneaking around. I hope you have a great day and catch a nap because you were up awfully early today lol._

_I love you and I'll talk to you soon!_

_Me_

That was not a complete lie. She did have a prom committee meeting today at lunch. She was the advisor for the senior class. It was fun but today she was just not feeling it. Hopefully she could just sit back during the meeting and let the students gush about everything. It was two weeks away and they were excited.

Ezra was trying to get some work done at the office today. He knew he was still the gossip around the water cooler but he did not really care. Liz was the one they were really talking about and if she had just kept her mouth shut none of this would be going on. Most of the things he had heard from his assistant were that people felt bad for him and that it was too bad he got sucked into a mess. Ezra usually kept his office door open but it was closed today. He did not feel like dealing with anyone. Not hearing from Aria had put him in a bad mood. It was not anyone's fault but he knew he would probably take it out on them.

Just as he was about to have his assistant come in so he could dictate a letter he saw the email pop up on his screen. "Finally," he said out loud. He expanded the pop up so he could see the whole thing. A giant smile came to his face. She had done it. She was free of Noel; he had put things in motion about Liz. Their plan was coming together. He got up from his desk and opened the door startling Penny, his assistant.

"Is there something you need, Mr. Fitz?" She asked. Usually she called him Ezra but he had been is such a mood lately she was trying not to upset him.

"I don't have any lunch today."

"Ok, what would you like?"

"What do you feel like Penny?"

"Umm, I don't care."

"Well, pick a place and order me something I would like. Make sure you order yourself something too. It's the least I can do; I've been kind of an ass lately."

"Mr. Fitz it's alright you don't have to."

"I know but I want to. And Penny, it's Ezra. Next time tell me to knock it off." He said giving her a wink and heading down the hall to get coffee. He would write his own letters today. He did not need to bark orders at Penny. She did not deserve that. Hearing from Aria had completely changed his mood. He needed to email her back.

_Hey you,_

_Don't worry about me; I'll go to bed early tonight. Have fun at the prom committee. I don't envy you at all. When is the prom?_

_That's great to hear about you and Noel. I hope you let him down easy, lol. I haven't felt this good about life in a long time. For once it seems like everything is starting to fall into place. Now if the month would hurry up and end I'd feel good knowing I was on my way to see you._

_I love you!_

_Me_

He did not envy her, being on the prom committee was tough. Well probably tougher for a guy than a girl but still listening to them squeal about dresses and what not did not interest him at all.

Aria got his email as she headed into the meeting. She could not help but laugh. She got sucked in by her students. She would not have picked this either but so far it had been fun. She also got a text from Spencer.

_How are you doing?_

She replied quickly so her students would not give her flack about using her cell phone.

_I'm good actually. Heading into the prom meeting I'll talk to you later._

Spencer saw the text but did not believe it. She would let a couple of days pass but if Aria did not start talking about what happened and work through it, something would have to be done.

Ezra got an email from Pat Sweeney. He was surprised to hear from him so quickly. Ezra liked Pat but he knew his office liked to bill for every possible thing they could. If Pat was not so good at negotiations he probably would have found someone else who was cheaper.

_Hey Ezra,_

_So we've heard from Liz's lawyer. They have agreed to your terms for now. Currently you will not be financially responsible for anything because her insurance will cover doctor's visits and testing. If anything does arise they will send all bills to me and we will deem whether we are responsible or not. Any other questions let me know._

_Pat_

So it was all going forward. Liz must be having second thoughts about all this, he thought. He figured she would fight him on every point but she was being very cooperative. Ezra could only imagine how long that would last.

Ezra felt that he finally was going in the right direction. He just really hoped that Aria felt the same way. She seemed distant in just a few days. He needed to speak to her; he needed to hear her voice so he could tell how she felt. The time change made it difficult to talk on the phone but they would really need to figure that out. He would wait to see if she emailed him back today, if she did not he would propose it tomorrow.

When school finished Aria headed to Spencer's. She needed to collect her things and head back to the apartment. She knew she would be ok once she got into her own home and saw that Noel could not enter and that she was safe. She just needed that reassurance and then she could let the whole situation go. As Aria was picking her things up Spencer came home.

"So are you staying here tonight?" Spencer asked Aria. "You are more than welcome. We could grab dinner."

"No I think I'm ok to go home. I'm feeling ok. Plus I can't hide forever."

"Did you tell Ezra?"

"I told him we broke it off but nothing else. I couldn't email that to him Spence."

"You need to call him and tell him everything. He needs to know."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"Aria, you said no lies this time. No sneaking around. Plus I bet you can stand to talk to a crisis specialist."

"Spencer, I'm not doing that. I will tell Ezra when I am ready." She said grabbing her stuff. The whole ordeal did bother her but she did feel ok about it. She held her ground with him and luckily was not hurt badly. She also told the police, had him arrested and did not try to hide it from anyone. "I'm going home. Thanks for letting me stay. I'll talk to you later."

"Aria, if you need anything," Spencer said.

"I know." Aria said hugging her friend good bye. Spencer meant well but sometimes she pushed too hard. Aria would deal with this situation in her own time. It had only been twenty four hours. She needed a little time to process what had happened.

Aria left and headed home. The first thing she did was check each room. All were empty and the windows were locked. She made sure her dead bolts were locked. She felt safe. She had some dinner and sat down to grade some papers. Checking her email she realized she had not responded to Ezra. She decided to write to him first. She still did not feel completely ready to speak to him. He would hear something wrong in her voice and she was not ready to deal with that.

_Hi,_

_I hope you are having a good day today and are able to stay awake and get some work done. You're probably sleeping at your desk as we speak. Prom committee was fun. They are so excited for the dance and graduation. It's nice to be around people who are so enthusiastic about the future lol. The prom is actually 2 weeks from Saturday so it's almost here._

_I let Noel down as easy as I could, especially since I found him with another girl. It's for the best but I won't lie, I was pretty surprised. I can't wait to see you. That bubble of ours looks better and better every day. Maybe when school is over we can go on a vacation together or I can come spend some time with you in California. I'd love to be with you longer than 48 hours. Alright, I've let you distract me long enough. I'm off to grade papers. _

_I love you and I'll talk to you soon!_

_Aria_

As Aria hit send, she felt good. She had given Ezra a little more of the story but not exactly everything. Plus she was thinking of going to spend some time with him when the school year was over. It was just really good timing since the whole ordeal happened with Noel. She started to chuckle to herself that she would not be able to go anywhere if she did not finish grading her papers.

Ezra could not have been more happy to read Aria's email. He was so glad that she wanted to spend some time with him. Coming to California was a great idea, better than vacation because this way they would have more time. He wondered if she could come for the whole summer. He was not sure if she worked during the summer, which many teachers did. He was getting ahead of himself. They needed to discuss this before he made all sorts of plans. While Ezra was thinking about the summer he was brought back to reality by his assistant's voice.

"Ezra?" Penny said standing in his door way.

"Yeah Penny, what's up?"

"Mr. Hayden dropped this on my desk. It's the Veronica Walsh project."

"He's giving that to me! I'm shocked. I figured he'd want Ellen on it."

"That's not the most shocking part."

"Tell me."

"You have a week to get through the first edit."

"That's not too bad."

"It's over a 1000 pages."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I wish I was."

"How many chapters is it?"

"It's 25 chapters. I've already separated them."

"Ok. Where do we stand on the Ricketts project and the Bishop project?"

"So the Walsh project is due on Hayden's desk next Wednesday. That's the first edit. Ricketts' final edit is due a week from next Wednesday but that is basically done. Bishop is done; we're waiting for the jacket art to come back so they can decide what they like and that can go to print."

"Ok so it's going to be busy but it's do able. I wonder why I got this project. It's really not my type of book."

"Do you want the truth?"

"Of course I do."

"Rumor is you're being punished."

"The 'Liz' issue?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it Penny. What are they saying?"

"Ezra it's not really my place."

"Penny I don't want names. I just want to know where I stand."

"Honestly the office is split. Fifty percent is staying out of it. The other fifty percent is split in half. Half are siding with Liz and half think you got screwed. And between you and me you'd be surprised who's on your side."

"Thanks Penny for being honest. It's nice to know everyone isn't talking about me behind my back. Let's just get going ok. This needs to be our best work ever." Ezra appreciated her honesty. She did not need to give him any info but he was happy to know that some people did not hate him.

"Sure thing. I'll bring in the chapters." Penny went to her desk and grabbed the Walsh project.

It was a historical romantic fiction piece. Luckily the fact checkers had already had their hands on it and the history was correct. It was now Ezra's job to read through the whole story and see where he could cut things out and make things flow better so it was shorter. The demographic that read these kinds of books did not got for anything over 300 pages, 400 pages at most. This was going to be a challenge to ask an author to cut parts of their story but it could be done. First things first were to read the monster of a book. Ezra decided to respond to Aria because he was going to be pretty busy for the next week and did not want her to think he was ignoring her.

_Oh fun. Prom and graduation are exciting for seniors. Hey, if you need a date to the prom let me know lol. I am game for you coming to visit. I would love for you to spend however much time you can out here. There is plenty to do. We'll have to discuss it when we hide in our bubble in a couple of weeks._

_Just so you know I have a big project at work. So I will do my best to keep up with my emails and text but don't think I'm ignoring you if you don't hear from me as quickly as normal._

_I am so happy to think you might come stay with me. I love you and I'll talk to you soon._

_Ezra_

He forgot to mention setting up a time to talk on the phone. He would worry about it after the Walsh project. Right now he was going to be busy reading 1000 pages of schlock. Sometimes being punished really stinks. The best revenge is to do the best job possible, and then he could shock his boss and his colleagues


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Marathon update. I really hope you like this.**

Aria went to school on Thursday as normal. News of Noel's arrest had hit the newspaper but no one seemed to say anything to her. She was named in the small blurb about it so she was kind of surprised no one approached her at work. She was trying to remain positive. She saw Ezra's email but had not responded yet. She knew he was busy and could wait for a reply. She was laughing to herself about going to the prom with him as she was walking to her car Thursday afternoon. Spencer was waiting for her. Aria waved and Spencer gave a weak smile. Aria assumed that she was there to scold her about not talking to Ezra yet. "Hey what's up?"

"I've got some news. Noel has been released."

"Are you kidding? Why?" Aria said, her body tensing instantly.

"He posted bail. He will go to court next month. I'm sorry Aria. I wanted to be the one to tell you." Spencer leaned in to hug her. Both of them knew this would happen, but Aria had hoped for more time.

"Thanks. I appreciate it. I should really get home then."

"Do you want to stay with me?"

"No, I'll be ok. I just want to get home. God knows where he'll be."

"Just remember all the proper paper work is in place. Call the police if anything happens. Even a noise outside. They are on your side Aria. Remember that." Spencer said hugging her again.

"Thanks Spence." Aria gave her a weak smile, got into her car and headed home. She was going to lock herself in for the night. She needed to digest the fact that Noel was back on the streets as they say.

For the next week Aria went to school and went home. She only did things in broad daylight. Every night she checked the locks on the door and all of the windows. Once it became dark out she would turn all the lights on in the apartment. Aria was afraid that Noel was going to come look for her and she wanted to be prepared if he did.

Ezra was buried in a historical romance. He worked late each night. Penny was a great asset. She had set up numerous meetings with the author and they plowed through the 1000 page novel. Ezra felt it was too long but he actually enjoyed the story. Veronica Walsh was a gifted author who knew her strengths and weaknesses. Ezra had prepared to do battle with her but he found that as long as the criticism was constructive and he could show why he suggested something she was willing to listen. Together they trimmed her story cutting things that were not important to the story making it stronger piece of literature.

On Wednesday, Penny put the first edit of the Walsh project on Mr. Hayden's desk, now tentatively called _Love and War_. Ezra knew the title needed work but he hoped Mr. Hayden would be pleased.

As he sat in his office waiting to hear from Hayden he decided it was time to check in with Aria. Looking at his watch he knew she would still be in school so he decided to send an email.

_How the heck are you? I am sorry I've been out of the loop. Today was my deadline and we made it. I think I owe my assistant a gift or something. She's been a trooper. Now we're just waiting to see how we've done. What have you been up to? I'm sure as the end of the year is approaching you've been busy._

_I've missed you. Luckily if my calendar is right we'll be seeing each other in about two weeks. We really need to start planning that so our flights are close to each other. Plus I'd love to book a hotel away from the airport._

_I hope you are having a good day at school. I love you. Talk to you soon._

_Me_

As he was hitting send Penny called his intercom. It was time to face Hayden.

Aria got his email during lunch. She had been distracted the last week looking for Noel everywhere she went. However it had been a week and she had not even seen his car around town. Maybe nothing was going to come from what happened. She was glad Ezra had sent an email. She knew he had been busy and she really did not want to disturb him. Now she knew it was safe to talk to him again.

_You're alive! I'm so glad you made your deadline. It's been killing me not to send messages or emails but I really didn't want to distract you. Please let me know what you're boss says and take your assistant out to celebrate, she's earned it._

_School is busy. Next week is the AP English exam so that will take up a lot of time prepping. My non-AP classes are psyched because they just have study hall next week lol. I can't believe how quickly the end of the year is approaching._

_I can't believe the month is almost up. We do really need to start looking into that. I'll get on it because I wouldn't mind leaving the airport this time either._

_I love you too!_

_Me_

As she hit send her next class was starting to come in the classroom. She sent a text to Hanna and Spencer quickly.

_Dinner and drinks at the Grille tonight?_

They both replied they would meet her at 6pm. She was happy. It had been a week and it was time to get out of the apartment. She could not hide forever.

Spencer called Hanna after she got Aria's message. "Hey."

"Hey," Hanna said. "Were you shocked to get that message?"

"I was. I thought we were going to have to drag her out of the apartment."

"Maybe she is just finally doing better. She's had a week to process."

"Yeah, we still need to keep an eye on her but I think this is definitely a step in the right direction."

"I agree. I'll see you tonight."

"Sounds good. Bye." Spencer hung up the phone and smiled. Hanna was right. Aria has had some time to process and she is finally moving forward. Even though she wanted to ask if Ezra knew yet she decided she would not push the issue tonight. They were going to have a great time.

"Ezra, sit down please," Mr. Hayden said.

"Thank you sir. So what do you think?"

"Honestly, Ezra this is some of your best work."

"Really? Thank you sir."

"Despite what you have heard, this was not a punishment. I wanted to challenge you. If you continue to edit the same kind of material you'll become very good at one thing. The goal is to become very good at all kinds of material. That is what a truly successful editor is."

"Thank you sir. This was a challenge but I came to really enjoy it. Plus Veronica Walsh knows what she is doing which helps a lot."

"I have put notes in the margin. There are only a few things that still need some tightening up and the title," he said pausing.

"I hate it. We're working on it."

"Glad to hear that. I want to be ready to send this to the printers in a month."

"A month, ok we can do that."

"Great. Thanks Ezra."

"You're welcome." He said standing and heading for the door. Ezra turned back to Mr. Hayden. "May I ask a question sir?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Why the short deadline for the first edit?"

"Well two reasons actually. First I wanted to see where you were after a week. I did not expect you to have accomplished so much. Ezra if I told you I need this book next week it could be done it's almost there and I'm impressed by that."

"Thanks, and the other reason?"

"I wanted to see how well you worked under pressure. I can hear the grumblings around the office too. I don't want to know what's going on it's not my business but I wanted to see if you could still get your job done no matter what. You've proved you can and you can do it exceedingly well."

"Thanks, Mr. Hayden." He said as he walked out of the office with a big smile on his face. Some of the women were watching to see what end result was. Some seemed surprised and others gave him a wink. Ezra finally made it back to his office where Penny was waiting.

"Well, what did he say?" Penny asked.

"We nailed it!" Ezra said giving her a hug. "Thank you for all your help I couldn't have done this without you."

"You are welcome Ezra. We make a good team."

"That we do. Don't bring lunch tomorrow. You and I are going out to celebrate."

"Sounds good to me."

Ezra headed into his office and checked his emails. He was happy to see that Aria had responded. He sat for a minute basking in the glory of doing a job well done. He took a project that could have ended in disaster and made it a big success. He was happy he was able to do that. He replied back to Aria.

_We nailed it! Best review from my boss ever. I'm taking Penny, my assistant, out to lunch tomorrow to celebrate._

_Let me know how you make out on flights and we can book them._

_Love you!_

He hit send, grabbed his stuff and headed out. He was going home to take Harp to the beach for a good run. Harp had been cooped up for the past week while Ezra worked and he deserved a treat too.

The girls were enjoying dinner and drinks as planned at the Grille. Aria had done errands that afternoon and had not even been home yet. She was feeling good. "So how has work been Hanna?"

"Good, busy with prom season which is a good thing but I could use a break." She said laughing. Hanna owned a boutique in Rosewood where she did some designing and ordered from really unique designers. It was starting to become very successful. "I actually got a dress in today that I think you should wear to prom."

"Are you kidding?" Aria said starting to laugh. "I have my go to black dress for such occasions."

"You'll love it. It's purple, short with some sequins. It won't over power the girls but it's better than black."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Aria said.

"Hanna is right. Get away from black. At least go check it out." Spencer said giving Aria a nudge with her elbow.

"Yeah come by tomorrow after school and look at it. I'm not putting it out on the floor until you see it." Hanna said.

"Alright, I'll come," Aria stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes were locked on the door.

"Aria what is it?" Hanna asked.

"Yeah, what are you staring," Spencer started to ask until she was seeing what Aria was seeing.

Noel had just walked through the door of the Grille with some bimbo. Everyone in the place began to stare at him and whispering to the other people in their parties. Hanna turned around and finally saw him. She opened her purse and threw money on the table. Standing up, Spencer followed suit and pulled Aria with them. The three of them pushed their way out the door not even looking at him.

"I thought I could handle it." Aria said while she sat on her couch. Hanna and Spencer had brought her home. Hanna was on the phone to the restaurant making sure they had left enough money. Everyone knew why they left and the owner said it was not a problem, they were all set.

"You are handling it." Spencer said. "Just because you are feeling better doesn't mean you need to be in the same room as the creep. I know you don't want to hear it but you need to tell Ezra. I think you will feel better."

"God, Spencer. I will tell him when the time is right. I'm seeing him in two weeks."

"Aria, Spencer is right." Hanna chimed in once she was off the phone. "You need all the support you can get right now."

"I know." She said starting to raise her voice. "I will tell him when we meet in Kansas City. I think I just need to go to bed now." This was the politest she could be without throwing them out the door.

They said their good byes and left. Spencer and Hanna knew she was angry and scared and they wished they knew what they could do to help her.

When Spencer got home she did something she should not have done. Aria would be so angry with her but she did not care. Aria needed someone in her corner right now that could hold her and let her cry. Her friends were not the right people for that. So Spencer did the only thing she could think of. She emailed Ezra.

_Dear Ezra,_

_This is Spencer Hastings writing. Aria's friend. I'm not sure you remember me but that's not the point. I have some not so good news that I think you need to be aware of. There is no easy way to break this so here it goes._

_Last week after Aria broke everything off with Noel he came to her apartment and threatened her. He also assaulted her. She ended up with some bruises and a bump on the head. The physical damage was minor but I'm afraid the emotional damage is worse. For a week she basically went from school to her apartment, hiding from him. Tonight we thought she was better because she suggested going out to dinner. During dinner Noel came to the restaurant and she froze. She is back in her apartment and will probably continue to keep hiding. She was going to tell you what happened when you go to Kansas City because she wanted to tell you in person, but I didn't think it could wait._

_I know I've over stepped my bounds but I really think you need to know and if you could call her or even come see her she would really benefit from seeing someone who loves her._

_Again I'm sorry I did this but Hanna and I don't know what else to do and thought you might be able to help._

_Spencer_

After Spencer sent the email she let Hanna know what she did. It was probably not the right thing to do and Aria would be upset at her but it needed to be done. Aria needed to know she was safe and loved and right now the only person who could do that for her was Ezra. Spencer had a feeling he would be on the next plane out, she hoped he would anyways.

**I promise Ezra is coming to Rosewood and everything will be happy again lol. Please review. I appreciate them all!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Sorry this is a little short. I promise more is coming. Please keeping reading.**

Ezra passed out the night before and had not opened his email all day. He had endless meetings. There were staff meetings. Meetings with each of his authors and the yearend meeting that he hated. He did not even have time to take Penny out to celebrate. It had been a crazy day and he was finally back in his office so he could play catch up.

Just as he was sitting at his desk for what seemed like the first time all day he opened his email. Immediately he opened the one entitled 'Help' and read what Spencer had to say? As he was finishing Penny came into the office.

"Ezra, I'm going to go as long as you don't need anything else." She said but he put his hand up asking to hold on a minute.

"Penny I need you to cancel my day tomorrow and all of next week."

"What's wrong? Is it your mom?"

"No, a friend of mine is in trouble and I need to go to Philadelphia. I am leaving on the first flight I can get." He said distractedly. "I need to call Hardy to see if he can take Harp. Can you take care of my schedule and respond to any of my important emails from today for me?"

"Of course I can. What else can I do?"

"That's all for now. If anyone asks I'm working from home next week. Depending on how serious the situation is I might be able to do conference calls. I'll let you know." He said grabbing his stuff and heading out the door. "Thanks for helping Penny. Just cancel tomorrow and go home. Next week can be done tomorrow. Don't stay late."

"Ezra, go do what you need to do. Call me please and keep me updated."

"I will." He said as he walked out the door in a daze. That asshole had the nerve to hurt her. He prayed to god he had a chance to see him in Rosewood because he'd teach him to pick on a girl. Ezra was seething with anger. He tried to calm himself before driving home.

He had so much to do. First things first he needed to call Hardy.

"Hey Hardy, I need a favor." Ezra said when Hardy answered the phone. Hardy could hear the tone in his voice and knew something was wrong.

"What's the matter? What do you need?"

"I need you to take Harp for a while. Aria was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend."

"Of course I'll take Harp. Is she ok?"

"Her friend emailed me. I guess physically she's fine but emotionally she isn't doing well. She was going to tell me when she saw me. I guess she didn't want to worry me. I can't believe this happened. I should have been there for her." Ezra said becoming lost in thought.

"God, poor Aria, but this isn't your fault Ezra. Did you notice anything off about her?"

"I'm embarrassed to say this but we haven't talked. We've been emailing and then last week with the big project I've been busy. She probably thinks I suck as a boyfriend or whatever I am."

"Ezra you can't know things you aren't told. Now go home, book a flight and I'll meet you there to pick up the dog."

"Alright, I'll see you in a bit." Ezra hung up and headed home.

Harp was happy to see him when he walked through the door wagging his tail furiously, but Ezra barely acknowledged him. He went right to the computer and tried to book a flight. Harp rested his head on Ezra's knee. "I'm sorry buddy. I need to go away again. Aria needs me." Harp was staring at him as if he understood. He sat with his master while he booked his flight and called the cab company. That was the great thing about pets; they knew when they were needed.

Hardy arrived about a half hour after Ezra got home. "Everything in order?" He asked walking through the door.

"Yup, I have a 7am flight out tomorrow. The cab will be here at 5am. With any luck I should be at her house as she is getting home from school." Ezra replied.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"I'm thinking a week but I'm not sure. Is that ok?"

"Of course, we love having Harp at the house. Lucky for us he's a good dog." Harp looked at Hardy and started to wag his tail. "Look he knows I'm talking about him."

"He's a great dog and I owe him big time. I owe you too."

"Oh don't worry, I'll collect." Hardy said with a laugh. "Well I'm going to get going. Go pack, try to get some rest and have a safe trip. Keep me posted."

"Thanks I will. I need to email Spencer back too and let her know I'm coming." Ezra bent down to give Harp a good scratch on the head and ears. "I'll see you soon buddy. Be good."

"He always is. Now take care of Aria." Hardy gave his friend a brief hug and pat on the back.

"Thanks man. I'll be talking to you." Ezra watched Hardy and Harp leave. He decided he needed to email Spencer and then pack.

_Hey Spencer,_

_Thank you for the email. I really appreciate the information; I can't believe she didn't tell me. I can't believe this happened. I'll be there tomorrow afternoon. Don't worry about Aria. I think she'll be mad initially but she'll get over it and if she doesn't too bad she needs her friends now. Thanks again. I'll see you soon._

_Ezra_

Ezra packed his bag and laptop. He needed to have some dinner and think about going to bed, 4:30am would be here before he knew it.

Spencer had been furiously checking her email since she sent Ezra the email. She still did not know if she did the right thing, but she did not really care. She knew in the end this would help Aria and she could handle her being angry with her for a few days. Finally a response came. Spencer quickly sent a text message to Hanna.

_He's coming tomorrow._

"Thank god." Hanna said out loud looking at her phone.

"What is it?" Caleb asked sleepily.

"Ezra is coming to be with Aria."

"Oh good. Can we go to bed now?"

"Yes we can. Good night." Hanna said kissing him on the cheek and turning the light out.

Aria sat in the middle of her bed with her arms wrapped around her knees. She could not believe she just froze when she saw him. He showed no emotion either. Aria was under the impression that he would be embarrassed to show his face around town, but then she figured maybe he did not think he did anything wrong. Aria was glad tomorrow was Friday. One day of school and then she could hide all weekend. Two weeks left before she saw Ezra. Their bubble was looking better and better. She decided to send him a message. It was only 9pm in California so he should be up.

_I need a hug_.

Ezra heard his phone and saw the message. He knew why but could not tell her that he knew. He responded quickly.

_I wish I could give you one right now. But I'll be able to soon. You should be sleeping you have school tomorrow._

His response made her smile.

_I know. I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you. I miss you and I love you._

Instantly he responded

_I'm always thinking of you. I love you too. Sweet dreams of me!_

His phone beeped instantly.

_Always. Good night!_

_Good night!_

Aria felt better now that she had heard from him. She tried to get some sleep. Hopefully a couple of hours would help her get through the next day.

Ezra was happy to see at least she was not completely ignoring him. He would see her in about twenty hours. Then he could give her a real hug and let her know that everything would be alright.

Aria awoke early. It was Friday, thankfully she only had to get through today and she could hide in her apartment all weekend. She would tell her friends she needed to grade papers. They would not believe her but they would leave her alone. She could not bear the thought of seeing Noel around town again. She headed into school early. If she was in her classroom she would not have to talk to any of the other teachers heading into the building. It was going to be an easy day. All of her students were going to be given the day to catch up on stuff they were behind on.

Ezra was up and out early. He arrived at the airport and checked in. His flight was on time and it was direct. Everything was going according to plan. He had reserved a car in Philadelphia and with some luck he would land at 1:40pm, be through baggage claim and in the rental by 2:15pm. He would be in Rosewood by 3pm. He was excited to see Aria but not for the reason he was summonsed. He would have to thank Spencer in person for thinking of him. Aria should not have to go through this by herself. He was there for her and she needed to know that he always would be no matter what.

During Aria's AP English class, she told her students to work on a timed essay that would be similar to a section on the exam. It was good practice, plus then she did not have to talk too much. As she was about to start timing them a student raised her hand. "Alexa," Aria said pointing to her.

"Ms. Montgomery, I wanted to say something." Alexa Malcolm said and she stood at her desk.

"What is it?" Aria asked looking at her quizzically.

"We read the newspaper and some of us were at the Grille last night." Alexa paused looking around the room. The other students nodded for her to continue you.

"Alexa, this isn't the time to discuss this." Aria said.

"No Ms. Montgomery it is," Alexa said more forcefully. "We don't have questions or anything like that. We just wanted to say we think you are very brave. You stood up and let your voice be heard. What happened to you was horrible but you did something about it and we all admire you for that. Not just us either, the whole school thinks you're amazing." Alexa sat down. The class looked at Aria waiting for a response.

Aria's eyes began to fill up with tears. She felt like a coward hiding in her apartment afraid to run into Noel in town. She did not want to face him ever again she was afraid of him and he knew it. "Thank you very much," she whispered trying not to cry. "I don't feel very brave. To tell you the truth I'm still scared, but it's really nice to know that you all care about me. Now let's work on that essay." She smiled at them. "You have thirty five minutes." As she sat at her desk she wiped her eyes. Her students all smiled at each other. They knew their teacher needed to know she had their support and the support of the whole school.

Ezra was running on time. For once in his life things were working out as planned. It was 2:17pm and he was heading to Rosewood. Spencer had sent him a text while he was flying stating that Aria should be home around 3pm. He was going to be waiting on the steps in front of her building. He was hoping he had enough time to get some flowers for her.

It was mass exodus out of the school on Friday afternoons for students and teachers alike. It was 2:47pm and Aria was ready to go. The outburst of love from her AP students had genuinely lifted her spirits. Maybe she did not need to hide all weekend. She was still nervous and this was noticeable as she headed to her car, crossing the parking lot quickly, she got into her car and immediately locked the doors. Sitting there for a minute she realized it was ok to be nervous but she could not let it control her life.

Ezra was pulling up to the building as she was getting out of the car. He watched as she put a coffee on the roof of the car. She grabbed a big work bag putting it on her left shoulder. She put her purse on that shoulder too. Shutting the car door she had her keys, which he could see the mace on, in her right hand. She held her coffee and phone in her left hand. Quickly she rushed toward the building. He could tell she did not want to be exposed like this too long.

He exited the car and walked towards the building while she was trying to balance everything and unlock the front door to the building. "Excuse me, would you like a hand?" He asked as he approached her, flowers in hand.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N He's back. Enjoy some fluff and thank you very much for all of the reviews!**

Aria spun around looking into his brillant blue eyes. Stunned to see him, all she could manage to whisper was, "Ezra."

"Surprise!"

"I can't believe you're here." She said with some disbelief.

"Me either. Now seriously let me help you. Give me that bag."

"How long are you here for?" Her eyes were brimming with tears.

"A while. Can I come in?"

"Yes, you can. Come on." She smiled, beckoning him to follow her.

They walked into the apartment. Aria put the stuff in her hands on the table. Ezra put her bag down by the door and the flowers on the table too. He looked at her. She was still in shock fighting back tears. "Come here," he said holding his arms open to her. "I owe you a hug."

"Oh Ezra," she said melting into his arms. She started to cry and shake. He just held her and let her go. "There is so much I need to tell you." She said into his chest through her tears.

"It's ok. I know and I'm here for you."

"No but you don't know."

He placed both his hands on her shoulders and pulled her away for a moment, crouching slightly so their eyes were level. "I know Aria and it's horrible but I'm here now."

"How?" She whispered.

"Spencer. We don't need to go over the details unless you want to, but I know and I'll do whatever you need me to do." He said pulling her into his chest again. The tears started again. Aria just sobbed and sobbed. He rubbed her back. "Just let it out." He said kissing the top of her head.

They stood like that for about twenty minutes until Aria pulled away. She wiped her eyes and nose. "Oh I'm a mess and I think I ruined your shirt with my make up." She said laughing slightly.

"Oh there are worse things." He said chuckling. "I'm going to go out to the car and get my bag. Will you be ok for a few minutes?"

"Yes. I'm going to clean up. Take my keys."

"Ok, I'll be back."

Ezra headed out to the rental car. He pulled it into the parking lot next to the building. He retrieved his suitcase from the trunk and his brief case from the back seat. He double checked the car. "I think that's it." He said to himself and headed back to the building. That is when he saw him.

Noel Khan was heading to the front door of Aria's building. Just as he was about to reach for the buzzer Ezra approached him. "What the hell are you doing here?" He yelled. Noel quickly turned to see who was speaking to him.

"Mr. Fitz? Is that you? What are you doing in Rosewood?"

"It's not your concern. What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting a friend. What do you care?"

"You need to leave now." Ezra said through gritted teeth.

"The hell I do. Who do you think you're talking to?"

"I'm talking to you. Get the fuck out of here. Now!" Ezra now yelled.

As Ezra yelled Aria opened the door to the building looking for him. He had been gone longer than she expected him to be. As she pulled the door open she saw Noel and Ezra. Ezra moved towards the door and put himself between Aria and Noel. Aria froze. She could not believe Noel came back to the apartment.

"Aria." Ezra said but she did not answer.

"Hey sweetie," Noel said. "I need to talk to you." He said taking a step towards the door.

"I dare you to take a step closer, see what happens." Ezra said seething. "Aria, are you listening to me?" He asked but she still did not respond. "Aria!" He yelled. That snapped her out of her daze.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Do you have your cell phone?" Ezra asked.

"Yes."

"Call 911 right now." Ezra said his voice steady and calming. He never took his eyes off of Noel. Aria did what Ezra said.

"What's 911 going to do? It's a public street." Noel said snidely to the two of them.

"Just call them," he said grabbing her free hand to hold.

"Oh my god, this is who you left me for? You left me for our old English teacher. I always knew there was something between you two." Noel said.

"What do I say?" Aria asked Ezra. She was still in shock and could not think straight.

"Tell them who you are, where you are and that Noel Khan is in violation of your restraining order."

Noel's jaw dropped. He had not thought of that. He stood frozen on the steps of the building staring at the two of them. As the operator answered Aria gave her all the information Ezra told her to say. A patrolman stopped in front of the building while Aria was still talking. Spencer had asked them to make more rounds by Aria's building. She had a little bit of pull in the police department and when Noel was released they told her they would do what they could.

Noel saw the police and tried to run but they stopped him quickly. "Mr. Khan, what are you doing here?" Officer Davis asked.

"The police are actually here." Aria said to the operator. "Thank you very much." She said hanging up the phone.

"I was coming to apologize." Noel said.

"Well you aren't allowed within 200ft of Ms. Montgomery, so we get to take another ride." Officer Davis said with a smile.

"Come outside Aria," Ezra said pulling her through the door, never letting go of her hand. "See you are safe and you are capable of taking care of yourself."

"I'm afraid Ezra."

"Don't be afraid of this coward. You have the police, me and even your neighbors on your side," he said pointing to the people coming out onto the sidewalk and looking out their windows.

"He'll do this again, once he makes bail." Aria said. Office Davis overheard this comment.

"Take a good look at this face people," Officer Davis announced to the crowd. "He is in violation of a restraining order that this young woman has against him for assault. I suggest if you see him loitering in this neighborhood you alert the authorities for your own safety." The crowd started to clap as Officer Davis put him in the back of the squad car. "I don't think he'll be back Ms. Montgomery and now all of these people are looking out for him too."

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Sir," Officer Davis said to Ezra.

"Yes," Ezra replied.

"Thank you for keeping your cool and not beating the shit out of him. I really didn't want to have to bring you downtown too." He said with a laugh.

"Anytime," Ezra said with a smile. "Are we all set here?"

"Yes you are. He won't be out until at least Monday now so have a nice weekend." Officer Davis said turning to leave.

"Thank you." Aria said. Ezra wrapped his arms around her as they watched the cruiser drive away. The crowd had dispersed as well.

"Ready to go inside?" Ezra asked.

"Yes, I am." She replied and helped him with his luggage. "I'm mad that Spencer got you involved in this but when I see her remind me to give her a big hug." She said with a wink.

"Will do." He said following her into the building.

Aria put his brief case on the table. Ezra put his suitcase flush against the wall to keep it out of the way. He turned grabbing her, picking her up and spinning with her in his arms. Finally putting her back on the floor he pulled her into him and kissed her softly at first. She had been through something traumatic and he did not want to push.

Aria responded by kissing him back, her tongue teased his lip and pushed through to find his tongue. They kissed like this for a long time. Finally he pushed her away holding her at arm's length. He looked into her beautiful hazel eyes. "I am so proud of you. You are the bravest person I know." He said to her.

"Thank you. You know what's funny?"

"What?"

"My class told me the same thing today."

"Well they must have a great teacher because they are very smart students." He said hugging her.

"I'm still a little nervous though."

"That's understandable but now he knows you refuse to be intimidated by him."

"But I only did what you told me."

"Right, but next time it won't be so scary because you won't be as shocked to see him. Plus I don't think he's going to be back. That cop made a fool of him today."

"Yeah he really did. God, I am so glad you are here. So how long are you really here for?" She said pulling away from his embrace and walking to the couch to sit.

"As long as you need me." He said with a smile sitting next to her.

"Ezra that's not an answer. You can't come running every time I have a problem."

"Fine, I'm here until next Sunday. Then I have to go back to the office."

"Ezra, don't waste vacation time on me. Plus I'm still working."

"Yeah, but I want to go to prom." He said in his most whiny teenaged girl voice and gave her a wink. "Plus I'm working this week too. I have deadlines and conference calls so I won't be bored when you are at school."

"You're killing me."

"Well, we didn't go to prom together it could be fun. Plus it will be nice to have dinner with someone every night."

"Fine you can stay the week. Are you staying at a hotel?"

"What?" He was caught off guard and it showed.

"I'm kidding, but that face was priceless."

"Now who's killing who." He said scooping her up and heading into the bedroom.

He threw her on the bed and quickly joined her. It was a sea of arms and legs as they both quickly became reacquainted with each other. The last time they saw each other they both were frantic to touch and be together. This time things were slower. They took their time exploring each other's bodies. Ezra loved feeling the warmth of her skin touching his. Aria moaned as his kisses trailed from her neck down her body. He was cautious and did not want to rush her, even though he had nothing to do with the Noel situation being intimate could still be scary for her right now. Aria responded to his touch and pulled him closer letting him know that she wanted him. Soon their bodies were perfectly entwined moving together as one. Eventually collapsing onto the bed in each other's arms, spent but happy.

Ten years ago they had taken the next step in their relationship and made love. It was a big step and Ezra had made sure to go slow, making sure Aria was comfortable with everything they were doing. He wanted it to be a good experience, an act of love versus a rite of passage. He did not want her to have any regrets. Aria promised it had been perfect and their relationship strengthened from that step they took. Now that they were older, they were driven by lust and desire for one and other. Sex was a part of their relationship, a way to connect physically in addition to emotionally.

Ezra lay in the bed on his back, the sheets pulled up to his waist, his left hand under his head and his right arm was wrapped around Aria. Her arm was wrapped around his waist and her head was resting on his chest. They were comfortable and exhausted. "What time is it?" Ezra asked softly. His eyes were closed and he did not want to wake Aria if she was sleeping.

"Hmm," she said rousing from sleep. She lifted her head to see the clock. "It's 8:30pm. We must have fallen asleep."

"Wow, I didn't expect it to be that late. It explains why I'm starving."

"I'm hungry too. Do you want to go out or order in?"

"I was thinking Chinese. Like old times."

"That sounds perfect."

They had a perfect evening in bed. Ezra only left the bedroom to get the food when it came. Aria finally got up to put everything away and go the bathroom. It Happened One Night was in the DVD player, they both got comfortable, turned the lights off and began to watch the movie. Ezra held Aria, stroking her hair as they watched Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert dance around the screen together. Ezra could tell when Aria drifted off to sleep. He continued to hold her and watch her relax. If he were a betting man he would bet this was the best night sleep she was going to have in a while. He eventually drifted off as well.

Sun shined through the curtains the next morning casting a glow across Aria's face. The smell of coffee woke them both. "How long have you been up?" Aria asked him.

"Maybe a minute." Ezra said groggily. "It was nice of you to get up and make coffee."

"I didn't, I'm just waking up myself." Suddenly the both heard it.

"Aria, are we walking this morning or not." Hanna called from the kitchen.

"Crap, it's Saturday," Aria said.

"So what?" He asked.

"Hanna and I walk every Saturday morning then we get muffins."

"Aria, it's 8:30am, let's go," Hanna said opening the bedroom door. She immediately saw them lying in bed. "Oh my god, I totally forgot you'd be here. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok Hanna. I should have called you." Aria said.

"Hi Hanna." Ezra said giving a little wave.

"Hi Mr. Fitz, I mean Ezra. It's great to see you." She said trying not to stare.

"So I'm going to skip walking today." Aria said. "Hey do you and Caleb want to grab dinner tonight. I can call Spencer and Toby too."

"Sure that sounds great. Talk to Spencer and let me know." Hanna said starting to leave the room. "I'll see myself out. Sorry to wake you. See you tonight."

"Well that's one way to meet your friends again," Ezra said laughing. He grabbed Aria and squeezed her tightly. "What are we doing today?"

"I'm not sure. What do you want to do?" Ezra gave her a devilish grin and a wink, hinting he had an idea. "Yeah but that won't take all day." She burst out laughing and Ezra began to tickle her.

"I'll give you something to laugh about."


	14. Chapter 14

An hour later they emerged from the bedroom. The coffee that Hanna had brought was now cold, they decided fresh was better than reheated, so they decided to go out. Throwing on clothes, they headed to the coffee shop. As they walked down the street Ezra grabbed Aria's hand. The both looked at each other and smiled. Some things had changed for the better over the past ten years. Before a simple walk to the store holding hands would have been forbidden. Now at 27 and 33 respectively, who could really say anything to them? After coffee they went to the bookstore and then just walked around town for a bit.

Aria called Spencer to set up plans, and sent Hanna a message that the reservation was for six people at 6pm at the new Italian place in town. After the plans were set they headed back to the apartment. The rest of the afternoon consisted of a nap and then getting ready to go out.

"I'm a little nervous to see these people." Ezra said looking in the mirror while he straightened his tie.

"Why are you nervous?" Aria called from the bathroom where she was finishing putting make up on.

"Well let's see, I'm still 'Mr. Fitz' to some of them, case in point this morning with Hanna."

"You are Ezra." She said emerging from the bathroom. She held his face in both of her hands and stared directly into his eyes. "You are my special person, Ezra and they will just have to deal with it." She said stumbling over the words 'special person' because she really was not sure what to call him.

"Your 'special person'," he said making air quotations. "Is that what I am?"

"I don't know what to call you. Are you my boyfriend? We're older now, do people still do that."

"Yes Aria, people still do that." He said slipping his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. "And just for the record, you are my girlfriend. I am going to introduce you to people as that because honestly 'special person' seems like a nice way of saying someone has a mental deficit." He said cracking a smile. Aria started to laugh.

"You know I didn't mean that."

"Well, whether you did or didn't I'm a little hurt." He said feigning a pout.

"Ok, boyfriend, are you ready to go?" She asked looking at the clock. "We can go get a drink at the bar and calm the nerves."

"Very funny! Let's go before I change my mind." He said smacking her on the butt and pushing her out of the bedroom.

Dinner was great. They all had a lot to talk about. Spencer only hesitated once when addressing Ezra. Both Caleb and Toby never really knew Ezra as anything else so it made it easier for them. They all toasted Aria on her bravery. At the end of the evening they all said their goodbyes. As Aria gave Spencer a hug, Spencer squeezed her a little tighter than normal and whispered into her ear, "Hang on to him Aria. I have never seen you happier." Spencer let go and caught up with Toby.

Aria smiled to herself as she looked at Ezra. Spencer was right. She could never lose him again. "Why do you have a goofy grin on your face?" Ezra asked.

"No reason. Just happy or maybe it's the wine. Either way it was a good night." She replied, putting her hand out so he could hold it.

"Yes it was. I'm glad we did that. When you come to visit me we'll have to have dinner with Hardy."

"Oh Hardy, how is he?"

"He's good. He's actually watching Harp for me while I'm here."

"That's nice of him. It will be good to see him."

Sunday was a lazy day and the two of them kind of slipped into a silent routine. Just being together was comforting. Aria had papers to grade and Ezra started writing emails and tried to catch up on some work. He would have to take a conference call on Monday and he wanted to be prepared. They stayed in and Aria cooked dinner. Then they went to bed early. Reality would sink in the next day. They both went about their business like any other ordinary couple. Aria went to work, Ezra worked from home. They had dinner together and hung out in the evenings. They made love every night. It was good to be together, but by Wednesday morning they both were starting to realize the week was almost over.

Ezra had sent Aria a text message saying he would be on a conference call from 3pm to 5pm. So she decided to see if Hanna wanted to meet for coffee. She did not like intruding on him while he was busy plus it was very hard to be quiet when you needed to be especially since her apartment was not that big.

Aria immediately saw Hanna as she entered the coffee shop. Hanna's smile broadened and she stood to greet Aria.

"You look fabulous. Having Ezra around agrees with you." Hanna said finally releasing Aria from her squeeze.

"Thanks. I feel really good too. I'm trying really hard to not get too used to this though." Aria said.

"When is he leaving?" Hanna said taking a seat.

"Sunday afternoon. So it will be here before I know it. But I'm trying to stay positive."

"You still have a few days."

"I know I just wish I wasn't chaperoning the prom Saturday so we could make plans."

"The prom should be your plans, Ezra could take you. Make it a real date." Hanna said sounding giddy.

"I'm a chaperone and I'm bringing him with me but it's not like it's 'our' prom." Aria said making quotations with her fingers, emphasizing the word 'our'.

"I think you two need to make this official. You didn't get to go with someone you loved last time."

"Hanna, I'm not 18 anymore. It's really not a big deal."

"Well, you need to at least wear the dress I set aside for you. You can't just wear black."

"I'll think about it."

"Aria, the prom is in three days."

"Do you want to go?"

"Shut up! Maybe a little," Hanna said as she started to laugh.

"You kill me sometimes." Aria said laughing.

"It's good to hear you laugh. Even before Ezra was back in the picture and things were normal with Noel, you weren't this happy." Hanna said noting that Aria flinched slightly at the sound of Noel's name. "Sorry I don't mean to talk about him."

"No, it's ok. I know what you mean. Can I tell you something and you promise not to laugh?"

"Of course you can."

"When I am with Ezra I am at my best. I feel safe, I feel loved, I don't know how else to say it but I feel good. You were right Hanna, he is my person. He is the love of my life and I am so afraid when he leaves I will be lost again." Aria said taking a deep breath as she finished.

"Aria it's ok to feel that way. For the past ten years something has been missing from your life. At 17 years old, no one thinks that their first serious boyfriend is the only person for them, but you and Ezra were different. Now at 27 years old, that missing piece has been filled and who blames you for not wanting to be empty again. But just because he is leaving doesn't mean he'll be gone forever."

"He makes me strong Hanna and I'm afraid I will be too scared to live my life when he isn't here. I mean Noel is back on the streets. What if he comes back after Ezra leaves?"

"Aria, you are strong without him. He just helps you see your strength and if Noel comes back again you call the police like last time. You just keep having him arrested. You are the bravest person I know and I love all the courage and strength you have."

"Thanks Hanna. I needed that. I'm still not happy he's leaving but it's nice to know my friends don't think I'll fall apart without him."

"Of course we don't think that. Plus you'll be able to visit him for a long time once school is finished."

"Yeah that's the plan."

"Now if I could just get you to wear the dress to the prom."

"Fine, let's go try it on." Aria said looking at her watch. It was only 4pm. "I have about an hour." Hanna squealed and the two of them left the coffee shop. They headed over to Hanna's store.

Hanna was right. The dress was perfect. It was a short, strapless, purple dress with a sweetheart neckline, and rhinestones on the bodice mixed in with the ruching. It fit Aria like a glove too. All she needed was silver shoes and a clutch.

"You look beautiful." Hanna said.

"I hate to admit it but you were right. This is way better than my black dress."

"Well that goes without saying."

"Ring me up, I'll take it." Aria said with a big smile on her face. She changed quickly and paid for her dress. She gave Hanna a hug. "I'll think about what you said about making this an official date." She whispered in her ear as she left. Aria noticed the smile on Hanna's face as she left. Why not? They could still be on a date and watch the students. Plus Hanna was right, Aria had wanted to go to the prom with Ezra but it would never have happened even if he had not left, so now was their chance to make it happen. As she headed back to the apartment she realized she would have to ask him but he would probably say yes.

"There you are," Ezra said as she came through the door. "You could have come home. This is your house. I hope you know that."

"Oh I know. It was good timing. I got to meet up with Hanna and pick up my dress for the prom Saturday," she said shaking the garment bag that was in her hand. She put her stuff down on the table and walked over to him. He was sitting in the oversized chair near the window. She climbed into his lap and kissed him.

Judging by the amount of pressure she was putting on his lips, he knew she needed this. He replied happily with the same fervor. Finally when they broke for air she looked at him. "Hi," she said.

"Hi, yourself."

"How was your day?"

"It was good. I got a lot done so I don't have much to do the rest of the week."

"Nice, maybe we can do something after school tomorrow and Friday."

"Sounds good to me."

"So I have a question for you and you can totally say no if you want to but I hope that you won't because," she said as he put his finger on her lips.

"What's the question?" He asked removing his hand so she could respond.

"Will you go to prom with me?"

"I already told you I would."

"No, I mean like take me to prom. It sounds so stupid now."

"What's stupid?"

"Hanna thinks we should make it a date and have it be like our prom. You know you could pick me, flowers all that jazz."

Ezra started to smile. He was kind of surprised that she cared this much but he could tell that she did. It was probably why she got the new dress. "We can do that. I'm not getting a tuxedo though; I'll rent a black suit. What color is this new dress?"

"It's purple, why?"

"Well I want to get you the right kind of corsage. There is one more thing," he paused.

"What?"

"I expect to get lucky prom night. So be prepared!" He said with a big smile on his face, squeezing her a little tighter. They both burst out in a fit of laughter.

"I'm sure we can make that happen. We'll figure out all the logistics of where you can pick me up later."

"Sounds good to me. Now can we make dinner or go get something. I'm starving."

They made dinner and had a quiet evening in. Ezra and Aria cuddled on the couch while they watched TV. She rested her head just under his chin. He was able to kiss the top of her head and stroke her hair. As he stared at her instead of the TV he smiled to himself. He had a secret but he needed some help to make it happen. He had spent most of the day plotting and planning.

What Aria did not know was that Ezra's conference call was about getting some money together to purchase an engagement ring. After spending the last few days with Aria he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He hoped she felt the same way. He had sent her the message so she would stay away from the house. He spent some time surfing the internet looking for jewelers nearby. He found one that had a lot of options. He contacted his financial guy and had the money put in place for the ring. Then he contacted Spencer via email because he did not have her phone number.

_Hey Spencer,_

_I have a question for you about Aria and I could really use your opinion. Please give me a call._

_Ezra._

He had put his number in the email and hoped she would call quickly. Being vague in an email usually garnered a quicker response than a lot of detail did. Within minutes his phone buzzed. "Ezra Fitz," he said.

"Hey Ezra, it is Spencer. What's going on?"

"So I had an idea and I need to know if I am way off base or if it's too soon."

"What's the idea?" She asked her tone indicating she wanted him to spit it out.

"I want to propose to Aria before I go back to California." He held his breath waiting for her response.

"Really?" Spencer said pausing for a moment.

"So I'm guessing your lack of response means it might not be a good idea. I wanted to ask you because I need a real answer. I know it's fast but I love her."

"Ezra, I think it's a great idea. It's quick but it's meant to be, plus you have already lost ten years together. I just didn't expect you to pick me as the person you wanted to tell."

"Well I need someone who will tell me the truth. I need a favor too."

"Anything?"

"I need to go ring shopping. I have an idea but I want your opinion."

"When?"

"I was thinking tomorrow around 1pm. We should be done by the time she is out of school."

"I'll be there. Pick me up at the courthouse at 1pm and we can go from there."

"Sounds good. Thanks again."

Ezra hung up from Spencer. Now that he had the green light to buy the ring he knew he needed to call Hardy and let him know what his plans were.

"Hey stranger," Hardy said when he answered the phone.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. How is Aria?"

"Really good. She is so strong. She just needed to be reminded of that."

"That's good to hear. When are you coming back?"

"Sunday. How is Harp?"

"The Harpster is great. He and Buster are best buds."

"Oh good. I have some more news too."

"Oh god, are you moving?"

"No, well I don't think so. I'm going to propose."

"Really?"

"Do you think it's too soon?"

"Honestly, anyone else I would say yes but for you guys I think it's right."

"Thanks."

"No really, good for you. I'm glad you aren't waiting with the whole Liz thing."

"You know what. I never even thought about it. What am I going to do if this baby is mine? My god it's not even on my radar."

"You've had a lot on your plate the last few weeks it's understandable to not think about it. Plus it doesn't matter, you and Aria are going to love any baby and treat it as your own when you are together and be a family."

"Ok, I hope this doesn't shape Aria's decision."

"Ezra, she loves you. She's always loved you. She's going to say yes."

"Thanks man. I'll call you when I know an answer."

"You better." Hardy said hanging up.

Ezra felt bad. Ever since he heard Aria was in trouble he got on the first plane he could and headed to Rosewood. He really had not even thought about Liz. Proposing to Aria was a big step and he hoped she realized how much he wanted this. He wanted her to see that this engagement was going to happen whether there was a baby or not.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N Sorry this is a little short. I promise the next two are longer. Thank you for letting me indulge a little with Ezra and the whole proposal thing, it's a little wishful thinking on my part lol! Thanks for all the reviews I greatly appreciate them. I hope you enjoy!**

The next day while Aria had been at school Ezra planned to go rent his suit but he needed some help. He stopped by Hanna's shop to ask about Aria's dress. "Hi Hanna." He said, he noticed the surprise on her face.

"Hey, Ezra. What brings you in?" Hanna asked.

"Aria won't show me the dress for Saturday. She wants it to be a surprise, which is fine but I wanted to maybe match or compliment the color with my shirt and tie." He said and she looked at him quizzically. "I'm renting a suit, not a tuxedo."

"I see. Well I can see if I have any leftover material out back with the color."

"That would be great. If you have any could I have it? I'd really like the florist to use it or match it for her corsage."

"Sure, let me go check."

Ezra looked around the shop while Hanna was out back. He was very impressed with the place. Hanna had done a nice job having a little bit of everything so it appealed to a wide range of customers. He had a feeling she was going to outgrow this place eventually because she was very good at what she did. He was brought back to reality by the sound of her voice.

"Here you go; I hope this is enough to make a bow." She said handing him a ribbon size piece of eggplant colored material.

"Wow, this is a very nice color. It's going to make her eyes look green." Ezra said, not really talking to Hanna.

"That's what I thought too. She's so lucky to have hazel eyes you can totally pull out the color you want."

"Exactly and now I have lost all of my masculinity." He said chuckling.

"Oh Ezra please. I think it is incredibly sweet of you to want to make this nice for Aria. Even though she might not admit it, this is important to her."

"I know and that's why I want to make it special. Thanks for all your help I should get going."

"Any time. I hope you have fun Saturday night."

"Thanks, we will. Oh please don't tell Aria I was here. I want her to think I can do this stuff on my own." He said laughing.

"Your secret is safe with me. Oh and if they don't have any ties you like come back. I have a few that might match."

"Well, what do you suggest?"

Hanna went over to the table that she had ties on. "I think you should try this one." It was purple and silver striped. The purple was almost a perfect match as well. "This way if you want to do a contrasting purple shirt or a silver shirt you could."

"I love it Hanna. Great choice. Would you mind if I got both shirts and came back for an opinion?"

"Not at all."

Ezra paid for the tie and headed to the rental place. He found a black suit that he wanted and they had a nice silver and purple shirt. He rented both. He'd go see Hanna tomorrow and ask her opinion. Right now he had to hurry to the courthouse and pick up Spencer. Trying to do all this sneaking around while Aria was in school was tough. He could only blame work for so much of it.

Spencer was waiting on the steps when he pulled up. "Thanks so much for coming with me." He said as she climbed into the car.

"Anytime, this is important. Have you looked yet or are we going in blind?"

"I have it narrowed down to three that I saw online. One of them is a typical solitaire. Very classic. The second is a three stone ring the whole yesterday, today and tomorrow. I thought it was kind of fitting. The third is an estate ring. Very intricate and antique looking. I believe the diamond is a cushion cut. Honestly, I got all the lingo off the internet." He said starting to laugh. Spencer laughed along with him. She could see that he had really put some thought into this.

"Well we'll look at them and decide. Are you leaning towards one more than another?"

"I am but I want you to look first and tell me what you think. I don't want you to be swayed by my opinion."

"Fair enough," Spencer said. "I'm still shocked you're doing this." She said out loud.

"In a good way or a bad way?" Ezra asked.

"Good, definitely good," she said pausing looking for the right words. "I always knew you and Aria would end up together, even ten years ago, I just wasn't sure how it was going to happen and now it's finally come true."

"I guess it has. It took us a while to get here and now I'm not taking any chances." He said cracking a smile at her.

"That's understandable," she said chuckling.

When they arrived the sales clerk pulled the three rings out that Ezra had been looking at. Spencer picked each up and studied them. She liked them all for different reasons. Ezra had really good taste, which kind of surprised her. After another few minutes she looked at him. "I know which one I like." Spencer said with confidence.

"Which one is it?"

"You tell me which one you like."

"Honestly, I like the estate ring. I just look at it and think Aria. It's unique and just very much her."

Spencer smiled and clapped her hands. "Me too. I mean I have to say you have really good taste and the other rings are beautiful but you are right. She needs something special and that's it."

"You heard the lady, wrap it up." Ezra said to the clerk.

While the clerk was filling out the paper work and polishing it up Ezra turned to Spencer. "I have one more favor."

"What is it?"

"Can you meet me at Hanna's shop around 11am tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Great, I want to discuss with both of you about decorating the apartment while we are at prom so it will look romantic when we get back. We'll have to lie to Hanna about the reason because I'm afraid she's going to spill the beans."

"No that's fine we can't tell her about this because it will kill her to keep the secret. Oh I'm so excited Ezra." Spencer gave him a hug. Initially it was slightly odd but then she just did not care. Her best friend was going to receive a proposal from the man of her dreams and Spencer was so excited to be a part of it.

"Me too." He looked at his watch. "We've got to go. I promised Aria we could do something this afternoon. Plus I really can't keep you from work."

"Oh jeez I didn't realize it was getting so late."

Ezra brought Spencer back to the courthouse. They said their goodbyes and said they would see each other tomorrow. Ezra needed to get home as quickly as possible and hide the ring before Aria got there. He knew she would be hurrying to get home so they could go into Philadelphia for the evening. He looked at his watch. It was 2:30pm. He would be home in ten minutes and Aria would be home in about twenty. He had no time to spare.

He barreled into the apartment, hiding the ring deep inside one of the pockets of his suitcase. Just as he was zipping it up he heard the locks opening. "Hey," he said as Aria walked through the door.

"Hey. Are you packing?" She said looking at him with his suitcase.

"Oh no, I couldn't remember if I brought my dress watch with me for Saturday. I was just checking my bag."

"I see. Do you have it?" She said approaching him for a kiss and a hug.

"No I don't think I do. I still have to check my briefcase though," he said hugging her. Then tilting her chin up to face him he kissed her softly on the lips. "How was your day? I missed you today."

"It was good. I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday though. Did you know I have one more month of school? I can't wait for this year to be over."

"Me either. Then it means you can come visit me."

"I can't wait. So what do you want to do tonight?"

"Let's go to Philadelphia and walk around. Maybe go to a museum or a gallery and then we can grab dinner."

"That sounds great."

Walking around the city and enjoying time together was wonderful. Aria could not remember being this happy. She did not want this time together to end. It was exactly like it was supposed to be. She wanted him there to hold her hand when they walked. She wanted him there to be by her side always. They laughed, joked, always had something to talk about, they even could enjoy the silence together. As they sat at dinner she started to think about the future. She needed to think about a way to stay together.

They returned home around 10pm and went right to bed. Aria wanted Ezra to make love to her. She wanted to feel him against her body. She pulled him closer with each move and caress. He could tell she was holding him tighter than she usually did. He knew this was her way of not letting go. As they fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms, he held her tighter. He did not want to let her go either.

As Aria washed her hair she could not stop thinking. She was still on a bit of a high after their trip to Philadelphia. It was a real date and it was great. She was trying to stay positive, but Ezra was leaving in three days. She knew it would not be the end of the world and she would see him again in about a month but having him here all the time was wonderful. As she finished she crept into the bedroom and tried to be quiet. Ezra was still sleeping and she did not want to disturb him. He looked very peaceful, as his chest rose and fell in a slow comfortable rhythm. She smiled and turned towards the mirror. She dressed quickly and started to put her make up on.

"Good morning," he said startling her.

"Hey. I didn't wake you did I," she asked.

"Nope. Did you sleep ok?" He asked sitting up in bed.

"Yes I did." She crossed the room towards him and gave him a kiss. He grabbed her and pulled her into bed with him. "So I thought if everyone was around tonight we could get drinks or something."

"That sounds like a plan. I have a couple of things to finish up for work but that shouldn't take long. I should be done by the time you're home."

"I have a couple of errands after work but I should be home around 4pm or so." She did not want to tell him she had to run to the florist.

"Can I do it for you today?"

"Oh no that's ok. I just have to run to the pharmacy and stuff." She lied.

"Ok, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't something I could do for you."

"I appreciate the thought but it's no big deal."

"I'm I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you're going to be late."

"Oh crap," she said climbing out of bed. She liked lying with him and did not want to leave. "Alright, I'm off. I'll see you this evening."

"Have a great day at school. Teach them something." He said as she headed out the door.

She left around 7am and he got up quickly. He needed to shower and get ready. He had to accomplish many things today and not that much time to get it done.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Keep reviewing please!**

While Aria was at school Ezra headed to the craft store to pick up supplies, then to Hanna's shop to meet her and Spencer. Ezra was in a dressing room when he heard Hanna say hello to Spencer. He hurried to put the tie on and walked out. "So what do you think?" He asked. He was wearing the lilac shirt, tie and black suit coat.

"I really like that," Hanna said.

"Very sharp," Spencer replied.

"Thanks," he said with a goofy smile. It was odd having people dress him. "So I need both of your help."

"With what?" Hanna asked.

"Let the man speak," Spencer said.

"Thanks," Ezra said nodding to Spencer. "So I want to make prom night special and I would like you two to decorate the apartment while we are at the dance so that when we get back Aria will be shocked."

"Oh, will you be my boyfriend too?" Hanna said melting from his sweet gesture. Spencer gave her a smack on the arm to bring her back to reality.

"I think Aria's all I can handle right now." He said chuckling. "I am hiding a box of glass candle holders, white votive candles, and scented paper rose petals in the trunk of my car. Aria is supposed to be going to your house to get ready, right?" He asked looking at Hanna.

"Yes I promised I would help do her hair and stuff." Hanna said.

"I'll probably be there too just to hang out." Spencer added.

"Great. I figure we need to go to the dance at 6:30pm. So I'll pick her up around 6:15pm. She'll have to go to your house around 5pm?" Ezra asked.

"Probably closer to 4:30pm, I'll pick her up from the apartment then. You should come over at 6pm so we can do pictures." Hanna said.

"Hanna, I know they are making the night special but it isn't their prom. We don't need a half hour to snap pictures." Spencer said, always the voice of reason.

"Ok. We'll figure it out. I just want to have enough time to grab a bottle of champagne to chill and bring the box of stuff in without her noticing. I figure the dance ends at 11pm, if you could come over at like 10:50pm to light the candles and put the champagne in the ice bucket? I'll have done everything else before I pick Aria up." He said making sure they were ok with the plan.

"I can use my key to get in." Hanna said.

"Great I think this is going to be great." Ezra said. "Do you have a few more minutes while I try on the silver shirt?"

"Sure. Go try it on." Spencer said. She turned to Hanna as Ezra headed back to the dressing room. "He is wonderful. I am so glad I sent him that email."

"I know. He's so sweet. He's really trying to make this great for her and she could really use it now." Hanna replied.

The both turned at the sound of his throat clearing. He knew they were talking about him and he just had to smile. He was happy that they both liked him. It could have been awkward and they could have still considered him 'Mr. Fitz' which would make this whole meeting non-existent. "So what do you think?" They both looked at the silver shirt and thought about it.

"Honestly, purple I think." Spencer replied.

"Yeah, I agree. It goes better with the tie and I think you look better in that color." Hanna chimed in.

"Great. Now that you've dressed me for tomorrow I need to go to the florist and pick out some flowers. Are we meeting for drinks tonight or something?" He asked.

"I think we might be. Aria needed to firm up plans." Spencer said.

"Sounds good." He said as he went back to change quickly.

"I'm so glad he asked us to help. It's fun to sneak around for a surprise." Hanna said.

"Yes it is." Spencer said knowing how big of a surprise this really was.

Ezra emerged from the dressing room. "Ladies, thank you so much for all of your help. I will probably see you tonight."

"You're welcome." They said in unison.

Ezra left Hanna's shop and headed to the florist. He had no idea what to get Aria for flowers. He gave the florist the ribbon for the bow and asked that it look simple, elegant and beautiful. The florist smiled and said that wouldn't be a problem. He could pick it up on Saturday before 5pm.

From the florist he headed to the liquor store to buy a bottle of nice champagne, which he hid it in the trunk of his car along with the decorations. He was not sure how everything was going to work out but he really hoped it would go smoothly. He now had the rest of the morning to finish up some work and practice how he was going to propose.

The day was uneventful. When the final bell rang Aria headed out to do her errands. She stopped at the florist to order a boutonniere for Ezra. She got him a Sterling rose because it was purple and it would go with her dress. She would pick that up tomorrow on her way to Hanna's. She needed to go to Hanna's store next. As she walked through the door she called out for her, "Hanna?"

"I'll be right out." Hanna yelled from out back. "Oh hey, what are you doing here?" She asked as she walked back to the register.

"I wanted to know if you and Caleb still want to grab drinks and a bite tonight."

"Do you want to go bowling?" Hanna blurted out.

"Really? I hadn't thought about it."

"Yeah this new place opened and they have cool lights and music. Plus a great drink menu."

"That sounds like it could be fun. Have you talked to Spencer?"

"She's up for anything."

"Cool let's do that then. It will be fun to even just watch." She said laughing.

"Great, I'll call and book a lane. Do you want to meet around 7pm?"

"Yeah that gives me time to change and stuff. I need to see what Ezra's up to."

"How is Ezra?" Hanna asked with a suggestive wink.

"He's good. I'm really dreading Sunday. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to handle it."

"You'll be fine. Just think it's only four weeks. God you guys should book a ticket now."

"You're right. Maybe I'll ask him about that." She looked at her watch. "Alright I have to go. I promised I'd be home by 4pm."

"I'll see you tonight."

At 4pm on the dot Aria walked through the door of the apartment. As she was putting her stuff down on the table she did not notice Ezra sneak up behind her. He scooped her into his arms and spun her around. "God I've missed you today." He said planting a kiss on her lips.

"I can tell," she said smiling. "I've missed you too."

"So how was your day?" He asked as he sat on the couch, still not letting her go.

"It was fine. It seemed to go by pretty quickly. So I talked to Hanna and we are on for tonight."

"Good, where are we going?"

"Well, plans have changed slightly. We're going bowling."

"Really? I hope everyone is ready for me to kick their butts because I am an awesome bowler."

"You are." She asked looking at him with an odd look.

"Why wouldn't I be?" His tone serious until the laughter took over. "I have no idea how good I am but I am confident I am better than you." He said kissing the tip of her nose.

"Hey!" She said beginning to tickle him.

"Stop, it hurts." He said laughing hysterically. He turned the tables on her beginning to tickle her. Then he leaned in and kissed her neck. She leaned towards his ear.

"Do you love me?" She whispered.

Ezra pulled away and looked her in the eye. The expression on his face suddenly became serious. "Always. I've loved you since I met you. I will never love anyone else like I love you."

Aria was taken aback by his comment. "I love you too." She said pulling him into a tight squeeze. She held him tight for a few minutes. She was not joking. She did not want to let go either and Ezra could tell. He just held her until she was ready to separate.

Aria finally released Ezra. He leaned back against the couch and she snuggled into him. He knew what was going on but he felt he needed to ask her. "What was that for?"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"That was quite some hug."

"I know. It's just because I love you."

"Aria, you can tell me anything."

"The week is almost over and I don't want you to leave." She said burying her face against his chest. "I've been trying to be strong but not having you here is going to be hard."

"I know it is, but it won't be for long. I want you to spend the summer with me." He said giving her a squeeze.

"I know and that will be great but then I'll have to leave. I just am not sure how this is going to work."

"Aria, are you changing your mind about us?" He asked pulling away slightly. She sat up and looked him directly in the eye.

"Absolutely not! I just need to figure out something more permanent for us."

"We will figure something out. Maybe we can use the summer to make some decisions." Ezra said slightly relieved. He had a big night planned for the next evening and he wanted to make sure it was still worth pursuing.

"Yeah that's a good idea. Maybe Sunday before you leave we can book a ticket for me to come see you. That way I have something to look forward to."

"That is a great idea."

"I feel better."

"Good. Plus we'll have a fun night tonight and tomorrow too."

"You're right. Time to get out of my mood. What time is it?"

"It's only 5:15pm. We've got plenty of time before we go out."

"Do you want to take a little snooze? I'm a little emotionally drained."

"Sounds good to me." He stood up still holding her. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. Once she was on the bed she kicked her shoes off and pulled up the throw. He climbed in next to her and assumed the position. He cuddled right up next to her so they were spooning. "I set my alarm for 6pm. That will give us time to freshen up and head out."

"Ok," she whispered. She was already drifting off to sleep. She was emotionally drained. It had been a roller coaster for the past three weeks and finally she felt like she was getting back to some semblance of normalcy.

The alarm went off at 6pm startling Ezra. He whispered into her ear, "It's time to get up."

"Ok," she mumbled. Ezra could tell she was still sleepy. He would give her fifteen more minutes. He got up, brushed his teeth, ran a comb through his hair and splashed some water on his face.

"That's better," he said into the mirror. Then he went back into the bedroom and gently woke Aria up.

Finally she rolled over and smiled. "Hi." She said.

"Hi. It's time to get going, its 6:15pm. We need to leave in thirty minutes." He did not want to rush her but they were going to be late if he let her sleep any longer.

"Ok I'll get up. I shouldn't take me very long. I just need to brush my hair and teeth." She said heading into the bathroom. "Oh dear god, what happened to my hair?" Ezra assumed she saw herself in the mirror and started to chuckle. "Shut up! I can hear you, you know!" She yelled.

He changed his shirt and was putting shoes on when she came back into the room perfectly groomed. "There's the girl I love." He said giving her a kiss.

"I'm almost ready I just need to change my shirt and put my boots on. How are we doing for time?"

"We're good. We need to leave in eight minutes."

"Ok, I can do that."

Eight minutes later they were headed out the door. Ezra opted to drive and they were off to attempt bowling. Hanna was right, the place was great. It was fun and made bowling seem like a new craze. Both Spencer and Hanna could notice that Aria basically sat on top of Ezra the whole evening. She held his hand at every possible moment. They both knew that letting go for five minutes was hard but they were not sure that she would be able to let go for four weeks.

Caleb went to the bar to get a round of drinks and the girls excused themselves to use the ladies room. Ezra looked at Toby. "If we all got up at once to use the bathroom people would think something funny was going on. If a girl went by herself that would be weird."

"You are absolutely right," Toby said giving Spencer a smack on the butt.

"Hey," she said looking at him. "You know we're going to talk about you. It's more polite to do it in the bathroom." She said as the three of them walked away.

"So are you guys having fun?" Hanna asked.

"This was a great idea and I really think Ezra loves it." Aria said. She was staring in the mirror freshening up her makeup.

"Yeah Hanna good plan." Spencer said then turned to Aria. "So how are you doing?"

"Fine, why?" Aria said looking at her funny.

"Well you and Ezra seem close. I mean if you could sit on his lap without people giving you dirty looks you would, kind of close." Spencer said.

"Yeah Aria. I mean I love being lovey dovey but this is the farthest and longest you've been away from him all night." Hanna chimed in.

"You noticed huh," she said shrugging. "I'm having a hard time with the fact he is leaving in two days and I feel like if I can be as close to him as possible I'll just feel better."

"Aria, it's ok. I understand and as long as Ezra doesn't mind, who cares." Spencer said with a smile.

"Did you book your flight yet?" Hanna asked.

"Not yet. We'll do it tomorrow or Sunday. He wants me to come for the whole summer."

"I think that's great." Hanna said.

"Me too." Spencer smiled.

"Yeah. He said we can talk about some more permanent living arrangements too."

"What are you going to do?" Hanna blurted out.

"Are you going to teach out there?" Spencer asked.

"I have no idea. We haven't gotten that far. I mean I guess it's a possibility."

"Wow, I can't believe you'd leave here." Hanna said sounding deflated.

"Hanna, let's not get ahead of ourselves please." Aria said. "There are a lot of decisions to be made but not tonight. Let's go back and have some fun." Aria said. The girls nodded and headed back to their lane.

"Everything ok?" Ezra asked as they approached their area.

"Oh fine. You know us girls we like to chat." Aria said laughing him off.

They finished out their game and had a lot of laughs. Aria could not help but think about what would happen with the living situation. She really did not want to leave Rosewood but she wanted to be with Ezra. She needed to let it go, not worry about it yet. She needed to enjoy these last few days and not worry about what will happen. Currently she had no control over that so why ruin what time she had left.

"Are you in there?" Ezra asked as they drove home.

"What? Sorry I was just thinking." Aria responded. She rested her head on his shoulder and he put his hand on her knee.

"You need to snap out of it and stop worrying. Whatever comes our way we will make it work. I am not losing you again. This week has just proven that we wasted ten years."

"You are absolutely right. I am officially done wallowing. Plus, tomorrow has the potential to be a blast." She said smiling.

"Absolutely. We can teach all those seniors how to dance. Because I'll let you in on a little secret, I am a fabulous dancer."

"Oh really."

"I am. Just you wait and see." He said and he winked at her.

**We're getting closer to prom and the proposal I promise! I hope to have the next chapter up tomorrow.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N Well here it is. I hope you enjoy it. I'd like to thank you all for letting me basically write what I wish was happening in my life lol! Who wouldn't want a little romance? Thank you for all the reviews. I love them!**

Saturday was D day. Aria was excited because they were going to the prom together and it was an excuse to get dressed up and have some fun. Ezra was nervous because he would be proposing later in the evening and he wanted everything to be perfect.

"So what do you want to do today?" Aria asked.

"Well how much time do we have?" He replied.

"Well it's 9am now and Hanna isn't picking me up until 4:30pm so we've got time."

"Ok. Do you want to get ready and go grab coffee? Maybe hit up the museum and grab some lunch?"

"That sounds like a great plan."

They both got ready and headed out. Aria wondered as they were wondering around the museum if life would always be like this. She knew at some point they would have to do regular things like laundry, food shop, the normal stuff that everyone needs to do but she was enjoying the vacation like atmosphere of their time together.

After wonderful tour of the museum and lunch at a nice bistro they headed back to the apartment. "Did you have a nice day?" Ezra asked.

"I did, I'm glad we didn't waste it by hanging around. How about you?"

"Of course, I was with you."

"Aww, that's very sweet."

"Hey, I try." He said with a wink. "What time did you say Hanna was coming?"

"I think she's coming at 4:30pm. Why?"

"Just making sure I have enough time to do this," he said scooping her up from the chair and bringing her into the bedroom. She began to laugh as he kicked the door shut behind them.

Around 3:30pm Aria climbed out of bed and jumped in the shower. She was quickly joined by Ezra. "No funny business while we're in here." She said.

"What do you mean funny business?" He asked then kissed the back of her neck.

"Ezra, I only have an hour and I need to dry my hair." She said leaning into his kisses.

"Fine, I'll leave you alone." He said stopping abruptly. He knew he was driving her crazy and he loved it.

The two finished their showers quickly. Aria was slightly upset with Ezra. He had pushed all the right buttons to get her going in the shower and he knew it, and then he left her high and dry. She could not wait for the prom to be over so she could drive him crazy.

Aria quickly dried her hair. Hanna had asked that it be clean and dry when she came over. She quickly packed her dress, shoes, jewelry and other essentials. "We are coming back here tonight after the dance, right?" Ezra asked.

"Yeah, why?" Aria asked barely looking up.

"You're bag is huge. I just wanted to make sure it was all for tonight."

"Shut up! It takes a lot of stuff to look this good." She said making a goofy pose before she burst out laughing.

"Jeez, I guess so." He said laughing.

Aria's phone beeped, checking the message, it was Hanna. "She's here. I guess it's time to go." She said.

"Do you want a hand carrying your stuff out?" He asked.

"That would be great." Aria led the way. Ezra grabbed the keys to the apartment and the car. He was going to help her and after she drove away he was going to bring the stuff in from the car. Once Aria was in the car he stood on the sidewalk and waved good bye.

"Now I need to get going." He said out loud as he walked to the car. First things first he needed to go pick up Aria's flowers. "I miss my mom at times like this." He said to himself while he drove to the florist. He had forgotten that it was his mother that got the flowers for his date. As he was pulling up to the florist he noticed Hanna's car pulling away.

"Can I help you?" The lady behind the counter asked.

"Yes I'm here to pick up a corsage. The name is Fitz," he replied.

"Just a second, let me go get it." The woman returned quickly and opened the box. It was the most beautiful arrangement.

"It's beautiful. It's perfect thank you so much."

"You are very welcome. Have a nice night."

"Thanks," he said picking the box up and heading out the door. He arrived back to the apartment about 5pm. He did not have that much time. He carried everything into the apartment. The flowers and champagne went into the refrigerator.

Then he started putting the candles out. He created a pathway from the door into the bedroom. He decided to work backwards from the bedroom to the door with the rose petals. He found a wooden tray in the cabinet. He put the ice bucket on that on the bed with a few candles. He also put candles on the nightstand and on the floor.

"I need to get dressed before I spread out the rose petals." He said out loud. He quickly changed into his suit. His tie was straight and his hair was combed. "I look pretty sharp." He said laughing into the mirror. He quickly began spreading the rose petals; he did not have as much time as he thought he did.

While Ezra was trying to decorate, Hanna was busy working on Aria's hair. She had set the top of it in hot rollers and waiting for them to do their magic. She had spun the chair away from the mirror so Aria could not see what she was doing.

"Now nothing crazy with my hair and makeup. I want to look natural." Aria said.

"Yeah, she can't look better than the seniors," Spencer chimed in as she came walking through the door. "Sorry I'm late; I was trying for finish up some notes for court on Monday."

"I know. You'll look great. What were you thinking for your hair?" Hanna asked.

"I was thinking something swept to the side since I'm wearing a strapless dress. I want to make it look like something I could do myself," she said laughing.

"Oh that will look pretty," Spencer added.

"No problem I can do that." Hanna said.

"So are you excited?" Spencer asked.

"I am. I think we're going to have a great time."

"I'm glad you're happy. I think you'll have a great time too. So what do you guys do as chaperones?" Hanna asked.

"Honestly, we check the kids when they come in to make sure they aren't drunk and then we let them have a good time. Obviously if someone gets out of hand they need to be escorted out but other than that it's their night and we want them to have fun."

"Really? That's all. So will you and Ezra have time to dance or anything?" Spencer asked.

"We should be able to steal a few dances. We also get to mingle with the other teachers too. So it isn't exactly the best date but I'm glad he's coming. Now I will have an excuse to not dance with Matt."

"Who's Matt?" Hanna asked.

"He's the gym teacher I told you about." Aria said looking at Spencer.

"Oh right. He's a little touchy feely." Spencer replied.

"To say the least." Aria said.

"Why don't I know who this is?" Hanna asked.

"He's the gym teacher and he just likes to give hugs and put his arm around you and stuff, plus I think he likes me. He's a nice guy but with Ezra there he'll actually get the hint." Aria said.

"Oh I think I do remember you talking about him." Hanna said. "So are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Aria asked.

"To see what you look like." Hanna replied.

"You're done?" Aria asked.

"Yes, I hope you like it. I can change it if you don't."

"Aria you look great. Hanna you have out done yourself." Spencer said.

"Hanna, just spin me around," she said anxiously. With that Hanna spun the chair to face the mirror. "Oh Hanna, it's perfect. I love it." She said standing to hug her.

"Oh good I'm glad. So it's 5:45pm. You have thirty minutes to get ready."

"Oh god. Alright time to hurry." Aria grabbed her dress and headed into the bathroom. She emerged about ten minutes later.

"You look great," Hanna squealed.

"I love that dress." Spencer said.

"Thanks. Nothing is hanging out or anything?" Aria asked.

"Not at all. I pulled some jewelry out for you." Hanna had it laying on the vanity. Aria decided to wear the bracelet she brought and the necklace that Hanna picked out and Aria always wore her diamond studs on special occasions. She slipped into her silver heels and completed the look. "Are you bringing a bag?"

"No, just my phone and some money. I'll make Ezra carry them." She said laughing.

The three of them finished making sure she was all set. Hanna scrambled to find her camera as well as her phone to take pictures that she could post quickly. Spencer came prepared with her own camera and she would man Aria's phone to post pictures as well. Spencer and Hanna felt like mothers sending their daughter off to prom. Deep down both were slightly jealous they couldn't go.

Ezra sprinkled the last of the rose petals near the door as he was leaving. He had his wallet, phone, keys, corsage and the ring. "I think I have everything," he said tapping the pocket the ring was in, as he locked the apartment.

What Aria did not know was that Ezra hired a car to drive them to the dance. He climbed into the livery and they headed to Hanna's. When he rang the bell Hanna let him in. Moments later Aria walked downstairs to greet him. She was stunning.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Ezra said trying to catch his breath.

"You look great too. We match perfectly." Aria said as Hanna let out a giggle. "Did you help him?"

"I suggested the tie." Hanna said.

"It's perfect." Spencer said. "Now give each other your flowers so we can take pictures."

Aria pinned the boutonniere on Ezra's lapel and then he handed her the corsage. "The ribbon is perfect. I love it." Aria said throwing her arms around his neck and giving Hanna a wink over his shoulder.

"Ok let's take some pictures." Spencer said. If she was not around people would never stay on time.

They posed for a few pictures. They looked perfect together. Both of them could not stop smiling and they both glowed. "We need to get going. I don't want you to be late for your duties." Ezra said.

"You're right." Aria said heading out the door. "Where's the car?"

"We're taking the black one."

"Are you kidding?"

"No I thought it would be more special." He said opening the door for her. "Hop in. I'll get in on the other side."

"Thank you," she said kissing him on the cheek and climbing into the car. He shut the door once she was settled. He turned to Spencer and Hanna.

"Everything is set up. I think if you go in around 11pm, we should be home right after that."

"Sounds good, have fun." Spencer said.

"Yeah have a blast." Hanna said.

"Thanks, for everything," Ezra said walking around the car and getting in. They both heard the emphasis on the word everything.

Both girls smiled and waved and squealed. Aria saw them and figured it was because they were excited for her but she would soon find out it was for something else entirely.

All of the students looked great all dressed up. Aria's students came over to meet Ezra and comment on her dress. Ezra could tell she was a great teacher because they all seemed at ease with her; they could come to her for anything. He missed that part of teaching, but he really enjoyed watching Aria in her element.

The other teachers were very nice and all seemed on board with letting the kids have a good time unless they were completely out of control. Matt, the gym teacher approached them. "Hi, Matt Goodrich," he said to Ezra extending his hand to shake it. Ezra shook his hand noticing his firm grip.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ezra."

"So how long have you and the little lady been together?" Matt asked.

"On and off for the past ten years, but we're on right now," Ezra said giving Aria a squeeze. The music changed to a slow song, Dancing Away with My Heart by Lady Antebellum, and Aria looked at Ezra.

"Let's dance; this is one of my favorites." She said pulling him away from Matt. She did not need some pissing contest between the two of them.

"Sure," Ezra said leading her out to the dance floor and spinning her around before pulling her towards him. The both effortlessly began swaying to the music. Every few seconds or so Ezra spun Aria. The two really know how to dance and people were taking notice. The last time he pulled her in close she whispered in his ear, "You may have been kidding about the bowling but you weren't about the dancing."

"I know, I just like surprising you," he said kissing her earlobe as he pulled away.

"People are watching us."

"I know it's because of my moves. They're just jealous."

"Exactly," Aria said as she laughed. He was cute and funny. They continued to dance as Ben Howard's Only Love came on. "I love this song." Aria said.

"Me too." He held her close as they danced. The senior girls were jealous they wanted to be loved like that.

As the music changed to a faster paced song, Ezra started showing off is dance moves as they both headed off the dance floor. They were laughing and joking near the punch. Carmen Delgado was approaching from the foreign language department.

"You two look like you should be students at this prom." She said to Aria and Ezra.

"Carmen let me introduce you to my boyfriend Ezra Fitz." Aria said.

"We've met before; you used to work here right?" Carmen said. Aria forgot she had been a teacher when she went to Rosewood.

"Yes, I did. Nice to see you again." Ezra said shaking her hand.

"How did you two end up together?" Carmen asked.

"Well Ezra went on to teach at Hollis with my dad and we got to know each other and we kept in touch. The rest is history." Aria said. She was ok with their relationship but she did not like announcing that they began dating while she was in high school.

"I see well like I said, you guys look like you're enjoying yourselves. Ezra it was nice to see you again," she said.

"Yes you too." He said as she walked away. "Smooth story." He said giving Aria a little wink.

"Are you ok with that? I'm never really sure what I should say."

"Yes, that's fine with me. Especially at a school event. It's a little odd to tell a teacher 'We started hooking up when I was in 11th grade' some people just don't understand." He said choking back laughter.

"I can't believe you just said hooking up. God we are old."

They continued to enjoy the evening. They watched as the whole senior class took part in a final group dance. At 11pm the lights came up and people started to leave.

While Aria and Ezra had been watching the students Hanna and Spencer let themselves into the apartment. "Look at all these rose petals, Spence; he did such a nice job."

"Yeah he really did. Let's get lighting there are a ton of candles." They started with the candles in the main living space and headed towards the bedroom. That's when Hanna saw it. Written on the floor in rose petals were the words 'marry me'.

"Did you know about this?" Hanna screamed.

"I might have."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it would have been a tough secret for you to keep, this way it won't kill you to last an hour or so."

"You guys are terrible. I am so excited for her."

"Me too," Spencer said looking at her watch. "We need to hurry up. They should be heading home soon."

"Ok, I'm almost done."

"Good, I'll send Ezra a text that it's all set."

The two finished lighting all of the candles and carefully let themselves out so they did not disturb the rose petals. It was the most romantic sight that they had seen and were so happy for Aria. They could not wait to get the call.

Some of Aria's students hugged her good bye again. Ezra received a text message from Spencer saying the apartment was all set. Suddenly his anxiety level was through the roof. He knew he wanted to get married, he knew he loved Aria, he was just nervous to say it correctly.

The car was waiting for them as they exited the country club. The driver started to head home. Aria turned towards Ezra. "Are you sure you want to go home? We could stop and grab a drink." She said.

"No, I think I'm ready to head home. It's been a long day. Plus you owe me something," he said with a wink. She knew exactly what he meant.

"You think so, huh? We'll just have to see about that."

"Hey it was part of deal." He said starting to whine.

"Fine, we'll go home." She said laughing.

As they arrived at the apartment building Ezra began to be more nervous. Aria noticed the expression on his face. "Are you ok?" She asked as they headed into the building.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You just look nervous. You know we've had sex before." She gave him a playful punch.

"Oh I know. I just have a surprise for you."

"What surprise?"

"This," he said opening the door.

Aria so the soft glow of candle light in the apartment. She noticed the rose petals on the floor and the pathway leading to the bedroom. "When did you do all of this?" She whispered.

"I had help. Now follow the path."

"Ok," she said as she started walking towards the bedroom. She entered the bedroom and saw on the floor written out in rose petals, surrounded by flickering candles, the words 'Marry Me?'. She turned to find Ezra. He was behind her, down on one knee holding a ring out for her. "Ezra, I," she could not seem to finish.

"Aria Montgomery, I have loved you since the day I met you, I've never stopped loving you and I will never love anyone else. Our path has not always been easy, we have lost some time, but now that I have found you again I never want to lose you. You make me feel alive, you fill my heart, and with you my life is complete. Aria, will you marry me? Will you spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes Ezra I will," she said as the tears began to run down her face. He stood up and hugged her, picked her up off the ground and spun her around.

"I love you so much. You have just made me the happiest person ever."

"Is this really happening?"

"Yes it is. I'm just so glad you said yes."

"Of course I would say yes. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I am so glad to hear that."

"I can't believe you have to leave tomorrow." Aria said her mood deflating slightly.

"I know but now we have something to look forward to and you'll be coming to visit in a month and we can really start making plans."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise," he said leaning in for a kiss. She responded passionately to his kiss.

"I thought you wanted to get lucky tonight." She said pulling him by the tie.

After blowing out most of the candles, they made love all night long, trying to get as much of each other as possible before Ezra had to leave. Calls to friends and family could be made in the morning. Now was the time to be together and enjoy each other before they had to say good bye.

**So just to let you know, I'm a little stuck on where I want the story to go next. I'll try to get it straightened out and post a new chapter soon.**


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